Mo ready to return to action
WHUFC.com
Mo Diame is looking forward to Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to
Stoke City
10.03.2014
After a fortnight without Barclays Premier League action, Mohamed Diame is
raring to go ahead of Saturday's trip to Stoke City. West Ham United have
not played since going down to a late 1-0 defeat at Everton on 1 March, with
the first-team squad enjoying a rare weekend off during the break in the
fixture list.
Diame, who started Senegal's 1-1 friendly international draw with Mali in
Paris last week, is looking forward to playing for points again at the
Britannia Stadium.
"Things are good amongst the squad," confirmed the No21. "After the game
against Everton, I think it was important to have some rest and a break to
come back here and start again and try to find the win again. "I went with
my country and it's always good to see my guys and to think about the family
I have in Senegal. It was good to play this game in Paris and we drew. It
was a friendly game and I thought we did well. We tried to win this game,
but I think a draw was OK. "Now, we are back to league action and we are in
a better position than a few months ago, but we want to keep picking up
points. We just need to keep going and need to make sure we take as many
points as possible by the end of the season."
Diame was part of the West Ham side which secured a superb 1-0 victory at
Stoke a year ago - a result that ended a run of two straight defeats - and
the midfielder is targeting a similar result this time around. That said, he
knows things will not be easy against a Stoke team which scored a 1-0 home
win over Arsenal in their last home game before drawing 1-1 at Norwich City
on Saturday. "Of course we can win there again, but Stoke did well in their
last game by winning against Arsenal, so we need to go there and try to give
our best and come back with the win."
Finally, Diame had words of support for his former club Wigan Athletic, who
continued their defence of the FA Cup by scoring a shock 2-1 win at
Manchester City on Sunday. "I am impressed with what they have achieved.
It's always good to see Wigan win their games, so now I can see they are
back near the Play-Offs too in the Championship. I hope they are going to do
well and come back to the Premier League."
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Loan watch - Weekend round-up
WHUFC.com
Find out how West Ham United's loan players fared with their clubs over the
weekend
10.03.2014
It was another busy weekend for the Hammers' band of loan players in England
and Scotland. In the Sky Bet Championship Ravel Morrison starred for Queens
Park Rangers, as the Hammers youngster scored twice to help his side defeat
Birmingham City 2-0 and end a five-game winless run for Harry Redknapp's
side in the league. Morrison was on loan at Birmingham last season and came
back to haunt his old club with goals in the 14th and 73rd minutes at St
Andrew's.
In the division below, defender Jordan Spence was also on the winning side
as Milton Keynes Dons kept their play-off hopes alive with a 2-1 victory at
fellow top-six hopefuls Swindon Town. The Dons trailed to Michael Smith's
first half strike, but Antony Kay levelled before the hour and George
Baldock, brother of former Hammer Sam, completed the turnaround
North of the border, Paul McCallum was a second half substitute as Heart of
Midlothian went down to a 4-2 defeat at Kilmarnock. Hearts, who were
deducted 15 points before the start of the season after entering
administration, remain at the foot of the Scottish Premiership table.
Finally, youngster Taylor Miles started for Concord Rangers as they secured
a 3-2 victory over Eastleigh in Skrill South. In a thrilling contest at the
Aspect Arena, Miles set up Sam Collins to curl a shot into the top corner
and give the Essex side a 37th minute lead. Eastleigh turned the game on its
head to go 2-1 up, but with Reece Connolly's red card reducing them to ten
men, Concord took advantage to triumph thanks to goals from Tony Stokes and
Gary Ogilvie.
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Ladies reach County Cup final
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies are through to the Essex FA County Cup final after a
thrilling penalty shootout victory
10.03.2014
West Ham United Ladies are through to the Essex FA County Cup final after a
thrilling penalty shootout victory at holders C&K Basildon. The Hammers,
who defeated the same opposition in a shootout in the FA Women's Cup in
February, made sure lightning stuck twice through the heroics of goalkeeper
Lauren Picton. The stopper saved two Basildon penalties to see West Ham
through 4-3 in the shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra-time in
Sunday's semi-final.
The game started with great pace and commitment from both sides and when
Lily Mellors turned inside and fired a shot into the far corner of the net
after just seven minutes, the signs were looking good for a routine West
Ham victory.
But the lead barely lasted a full minute when Basildon equalised. A deep
cross came over from the left and it was the Basildon defender who got her
head to the ball first and sent the ball into the back of the Hammers net.
To make matters worse, after 15 minutes Hammers skipper Stacey Little was
carried from the field with an ankle injury. A subsequent trip to hospital
revealed that, thankfully, there was no fracture as was initially feared.
The game lost its momentum after the stoppages and West Ham lost their flow.
This allowed Basildon to put further pressure onto the Hammers defence and
they came close on a number of occasions but their finishing was off target.
Just before the 90 minutes were up the Hammers had a purple patch which saw
Mellors, Cherrelle Albert and April Bowers all go close, but the scores
remained level at the end of normal time.
The 30 minutes of extra-time also failed to provide a winning goal, with
both sides a little more cautious in their ventures into the opposition
half. Finally it came down to a penalty shootout. Basildon were first at the
spot and Picton pulled off a fine save low down to her right, giving the
Hammers an advantage. Sarah McCrea stepped up and scored putting West Ham
one up, before once again Picton foiled the Basildon taker. Mellors was up
next, but her effort hit the post, to keep the score at 1-0 on penalties.
Basildon scored all three of their remaining penalties and with Albert and
Bowers scoring for the Hammers, it was 3-3 with just Danica Revell to come
and without showing any nerves she but the ball into the back of the net for
a fantastic win.
West Ham will face Barking in the final at AFC Hornchurch on 17 April, with
kick-off at 7.45pm. There, the Hammers will be seeking to win the
competition for
a third time, having previously lifted the trophy in 2009 and 2011. Barking
have also won it twice previously, in 2001 and 2003.
Ladies: Picton, King, McCrea, West, Revell, Blanchflower (Cliffe 46), Little
(Lipley-Hinton 15, Masters 103), Morgan, Bowers, Albert, Mellors
Subs not used : Bottom, Beard
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Macca: consistency is key for Ravel
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 10th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald has challenged Ravel Morrison to
deliver on a regular basis, following his Man of the Match performance
against Birmingham last weekend. The 21-year-old midfielder scored both of
Queens Park Rangers' goals on Saturday as the Championship promotion
contenders boosted their ailing hopes of an automatic promotion spot with a
2-0 win against against the club with whom Morrison spent last season on
loan. McDonald has worked with the England Under 21 international since he
arrived at West Ham in the 2012 winter transfer window. And whilst he has
always championed Morrison's immense talent, McDonald believes that his
biggest challenge now is to remain focused and repeat some of this season's
eye-catching performances consistently. "There are lots of young players
like Ravel who have the talent, but at the same time they have to have
consistency," McDonald told London 24's Dave Evans. "When you are young you
very rarely have that consistency and you have to work really hard on your
game. "He will have his time when he gets that and plays 10, 20-odd games
where he is consistent and everyone will think he is a complete player. "He
is very, very good on the ball, but he has to learn the other side because
there are two parts to learn about the game. There is off the field as well,
but we can't control that. We can control as much as we can on the training
field and on the pitch and like a lot of young players he will learn as he
gets older. That is our challenge."
Morrison joined QPR on loan for the rest of the season on February 19th,
since when he has made three appearances. He is under contract at West Ham
until the summer of 2015.
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Morrison praised for solo show
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 10th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Ravel Morrison was named Man of the Match on Saturday for scoring the two
goals that condemned former club Birmingham City to a narrow 2-1 defeat. The
on-loan Hammer struck in the 14th and 73rd minute of the game to seal a 2-1
win for the R's at St Andrews which keeps alive their fading hopes of
automatic promotion. Morrison's two goals - a placed, side-footed shot and a
delicious, dipping 20-yard free kick either side of the break - gave Harry
Redknapp's side all three valuable points but it was his general display
that left other purring after the game. Team mate Nedum Onuoha was effusive
in his praise of the Hammers youngster. "Ravel is a boost for us," he said.
"He was very good for us at Birmingham. He keeps impressing us with his
work-rate and his ability as well. "If he can keep doing that between now
and the end of the season we will be very happy. His main role is a
play-maker and trying to give people opportunities. He is good in training
and hopefully things are looking up now." Onuoha's assessment was backed by
current R's boss Harry Redknapp, who purred: "There's a shortage of talent
in the world of players like Ravel, especially in England. The kid has
everything to be a great player. "I love working with talented players like
Ravel, players who can do something different, something special. I just
hope he can continue to keep on doing what he's doing and go on to become
the player he is undoubtedly capable of being." Morrison, who has scored
five times for West Ham this season is on-loan at QPR for the rest of the
campaign.
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Maiga facing QPR axe
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 10th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Harry Redknapp says Modibo Maiga needs to improve is he is to maintain a
regular spot in Queens Park Rangers' starting eleven. The 26-year-old
striker joined the Championship club on transfer deadline day for the
remainder of the current campaign. However since moving to Loftus Road,
Maiga has made just three appearances. The former Sochaux forward opened his
account for QPR on his debut in a 3-3 draw against Burnley on February 1st -
since when he has made just two substitute appearances, with Redknapp
choosing to go with the likes of Kevin Doyle and David Hoilett instead.
"He's got make me want to pick him," Redknapp told Get West London, when
asked about Maiga lack of appearances. "It's true he's from a Premier League
club but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there with Wolves two years
ago." Maiga's move to England has proven to be an unmitigated disaster so
far. Since joining West Ham in July 2012 for circa £5million he made just 19
starts in all competitions before dropping a division to join the
Championship promotion candidates. Meanwhile, 67-year-old Redknapp, who
managed West Ham between 1994 and 2001 is said to be considering retirement
having struggled to keep his side in touch with the Championship league
leaders.
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Tuesday, March 11
Monday, March 10
Daily WHUFC News - 10th March 2014
Knoyle bemoans bad luck
WHUFC.com
Full-back Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad were unlucky in defeat to
Liverpool on Friday
09.03.2014
Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad didn't get the rub of the green in
their 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Friday
night.
The young Hammers fell behind on the stroke of half-time to a ricochet off
Jack Dunn which deceived Raphael Spiegel and rolled into the net after the
home side had been firmly in control of proceedings. Dunn scored a second
with 77 minutes on the clock to seal the win for the visitors, but Knoyle
felt the first goal had dented the Hammers' confidence. He told West Ham TV:
"We played very well and the defeat was unlucky because we conceded just
before half-time.
"The manner of the goal as well, it bobbled awkwardly and Rapha couldn't get
to it. I thought we had the majority of the chances and if we had scored
after their first goal, then I think we would have gone onto win it. "The
goal came just before half-time, so our heads went down just a bit but if
we'd have managed to keep it at 0-0 then the game would be open and anything
could happen."
The Hammers more than held their own against a Liverpool side, who arrived
at Rush Green in second place in the table and contained Brazilian
international Lucas Leiva, and France international Mamadou Sakho. Elliot
Lee saw an effort strike the post while he was also denied by the visiting
keeper along with Sebastian Lletget and Josh Cullen in an opening period
which the home side dominated. Right-back Knoyle was disappointed with the
result but felt the experience of playing against two international players
could only benefit him as a footballer. "We were doing well defensively,
everyone was working hard and had we got a goal we would have been set for
the match. "We were unlucky that we conceded the first goal and the manner
of it was disappointing. "It can only be good for me as a first year and
playing against players like this is only going to make me a better player."
Knoyle himself had only returned just in time for the match after playing a
part for the England Under-18s against Croatia at St George's Park. While
the Three Lions lost both matches against their visitors, Knoyle believes
the experience of representing his country can only improve him as a player.
"They had two full internationals out there tonight, in the shape of Lucas
and Sakho and everyone played well. Everyone worked hard for the team and we
showed that we could be just as good as them on the night. "Every time you
go and represent England it's a great experience where you're learning and
picking things up from the game. "It's good for my CV that I've played for
England and the fact that im playing for the Under-21s is only good for me."
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George no stranger to stadium move
WHUFC.com
George McCartney recalled Sunderland's big move on his visit to West Ham
United's future home in Stratford
08.03.2014
If any player knows the benefits of moving to a bigger, state-of-the-art
stadium, it is West Ham United defender George McCartney. McCartney was just
16 when he travelled over from his native Northern Ireland for a trial with
Sunderland in May 1997, during which he attended a farewell match against
Liverpool at the Black Cats' Roker Park stadium. The trial was successful
and the defender signed on as a trainee. Two years later, he turned
professional and moved into his first home - a flat on the estate
constructed on the site vacated by Roker Park. In September 2000, McCartney
made his first-team debut for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light before
going on to captain the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League five
years later. Now 32, the Northern Irishman says the club's move to their
49,000-seater new home played a big part in the success Sunderland have
enjoyed over the past 15 seasons - eleven of which have been spent in the
Premier League. West Ham are now a little more than two years away from
moving to the Olympic Stadium, with the announcement that the Boleyn Ground
will be re-developed for new homes, retail and leisure facilities for local
people, as well as the development of a central landscaped garden, which
would be named the Bobby Moore Memorial Garden. McCartney believes the
Hammers, like Sunderland, will also benefit from their big move.
"The first-ever time I went across to Sunderland when I was 16, I went to
the last match at Roker Park against Liverpool," said McCartney. "it is hard
to believe that stadium has been transformed from a football stadium into
apartments and that's where my first house was! "I was there for the last
game at Roker Park, then they moved into the new stadium. When you look at
Sunderland now, they have a great stadium, a great training ground and they
have everything in place to be a top club. "From what I remember, Roker Park
didn't hold that many people - not even half as many as the Stadium of Light
does - so to go from having 15 or 20,000 every week to having 45,000 every
week made a big difference, and it can do for West Ham too."
McCartney joined team-mate James Tomkins and apprentices George Skuce and
Mohamed Mohamed from technology specialists Imtech at the Olympic Stadium,
where they helped the two east London-born electricians with their work on
redeveloping West Ham's new home. The visit formed part of National
Apprenticeship Week, which is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship
Service and designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact
they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. "It does look a
bit different now," said the No3. "Back in August, there was a bit of grass
on the pitch and the roof structure was still on, but now we've come back
and it actually looks a lot bigger than it did a few months ago. "Now they
have taken the running track out and the roof off, it is a big open space,
but I can see they are in the process of getting everything ready to
transform it into a football stadium. "Nowadays, football clubs need a big
amount of revenue to run at Premier League level in a competitive way.
Obviously Upton Park is a great stadium with a lot of history behind it, but
for West Ham to move to the next level, they need a stadium like this. "I'm
sure, when all the supporters start coming along every weekend and
supporting the team, they'll realise what sort of stadium the Club has got
here and they'll be happy in the long run. "For the Club itself, the money
and interest it will generate and the new players it will attract, West Ham
need this. It's not much to look at now, but in a year or two's time it is
going to be a great stadium to be part of."
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U18s stay in title hunt
WHUFC.com
West Ham United scored a 3-0 Barclays U18 Premier League South victory at
Arsenal to stay second in the table
09.03.2014
West Ham United U18s kept the pressure on at the top of the Barclays U18
Premier League South with a 3-0 demolition of Arsenal on Saturday morning.
Early goals in the opening eight minutes from captain Kieran Bywater and
Jerry Amoo set the Hammers on their way to victory, before Emmanuel
Onariase's (pictured) rare strike near the end settled the tie. West Ham's
win meant they kept pace with leaders Fulham, who scored a 3-0 win at
Chelsea on Friday. The pair both sit on 49 points from 22 matches played.
Both teams have eight games remaining. U18 boss Steve Potts made just two
changes to the side that beat league leaders Fulham away two weeks ago, with
right-back Alex Pike replacing Josh Pask in defence, along with Amoo
stepping in to replace schoolboy Grady Diangana. With the Hammers looking to
take their recent win streak to six games, they got off to the perfect start
at London Colney when Amoo used his speed to get away down the right, before
cutting a ball back to the edge of the box for Bywater to snatch his 17th
league goal of the season. Then, just three minutes later, Amoo turned from
provider to scorer when he charged through two or three opposition defenders
before firing low past Gunners goalkeeper Ryan Huddart. After that, the game
seemed to slow down in terms of attacking opportunities, with both teams
battling in the centre of the pitch to gain control of the game. Just after
the hour-mark, Arsenal had a rare chance on goal when the ball fell kindly
to Kaylen Hinds on the edge of the box, but the youngster rushed his volley.
As Arsenal looked to step up their performance, a mix-up in midfield saw
Amoo given a free run towards goal and, after settling himself, his effort
was palmed clear by the strong hands of Huddart. If Arsenal felt that they
had got away with conceding another goal, the travelling Hammers secured the
three points with a third late in the second half. Bywater's deep cross was
met at the far post by Reece Burke, who expertly brought the ball back
across the face of the goal for Onariase to finish. It almost got even worse
for the Gunners in the closing minutes when West Ham substitute Bailey was
released through the back line by Bywater, but unfortunately he blazed his
shot well wide of the target.
The Hammers' next league fixture is a trip to Leicester City on Saturday 15
March, with an 11.30am kick off.
U18s: Howes, Pike (Pask), Harney, Onariase, Burke, Nasha, Makasi, Amoo,
Brown (Martins), Bywater, Parfitt-Williams (Bailey)
Sub not used: Nemrava
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HOW CAN WE BEST HONOUR THE CLUBS 'GREATS' - PAST AND FUTURE!
By S J Chandos 9 Mar 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die
Bobby Moore is West Ham's greatest player. He is also England's, and
arguably international football's, finest ever defender and captain. As
such, his place in his club and country's history must always be honoured.
It is only right that his legacy should be central to both the plans for the
development of the Olympic Stadium and redevelopment of a vacated Upton
Park. That all goes without saying, but still, an outstanding issue for me
is how the club can most appropriately remember the other 'greats' that have
made invaluable contributions to our history.
For instance, what about our first ever England international, Danny Shea;
our first striking superstar Syd Puddefoot; or our all time record goal
scorer Vic Watson. Similiarly, one could also point to formidible centre
half, Big Jim Barrett Snr; central defensive pivot and captain, George Kaye;
goal scoring left-winger Jimmy Ruffell; inside-right Stanley Earle; winger,
Stan Foxell; tricky forward Johnny Morton; or the last great amateur player,
V.W.T Gibbins. What about the claims of that 'Prince amongst Inside
Forwards,' Len Goulden, a genuine contender for the title of the club's
greatest ever creative midfielder. Then amongst our past goal keepers, there
are such great shot stoppers as Ted Hufton, Ernie Gregory, Phil Parkes and
Ludo Miklosko. Unquestionably four of the best custodians to appear for any
English club.
Nearer our own time, there is the prolific 1957-58 striking partnership of
Vic Keeble and John Dick; the exciting attacking full-back partnership of
John Bond and Noel Cantwell; the deadly McAvennie-Cottee combination that
nearly fired us to the 1st Division title in 1985-86; the rock solid
defensive midfielder, Andy Malcolm; and, of course, the skillful and deadly
Johnny Byrne. And this leads us to a group of players, who are second only
to Bobby Moore in receiving official recognition from the club for their
achievements. These include, Sir Geoff Hurst; Martin Peters; Sir Trevor
Brooking, Billy Bonds and Paolo Di Canio. While there are others such as
Alan Devonshire, Ronnie Boyce, Alvin martin, Ray Stewart, Tony Gale, Julian
Dicks, Pop Robson, Graham Paddon and David Cross who arguably deserve more
recognition.
Then there is a unique category of player whose contributions to the history
of the club are directly linked to a single famous victory. Amongst these
are included: Alan Taylor's goal scoring a feats in winning the1975 FA Cup;
Alan Sealey's famous double in the 1965 ECWC Final; Sam Small's winning goal
in the 1940 War League Cup Final; and Bobby Zamora and Richardo Vaz Te's,
respective, winning goals in the 2005 and 2012 Championship Play-off Finals.
Similiarly there needs to be recognition of the 'international Hammers.' who
have been capped by their countries whilst with the club; as well as the
great/best Hammers sides. In this latter category are the 1923 and 2006 FA
Cup Finalists; the 1940 League War Cup winners; the 1964, 1975 and 1980 FA
Cup winners; the 1965 ECWC winners and 1976 ECWC Finalists; the 1985-86
title challenging side; the 1966 and 1981 League Cup Finalists; the 1957-58
and 1980-81 2nd Division Championship winners; the the 2005 and 2012
Play-off Championship winners.
There must be further recognition of the greatest Hammers managers,
principally Ron Greenwood and Johnny Lyall, but also the others based on
their achievements. Plus there might also be acknowledgement of influential
figures, such as Arnold Hills, Billy Moore. Wally St pier, Tony Carr, Ernie
Gregory and Eddie Bailey who have made a unique individual contribution to
the club on a number of different levels. What about the famous and original
concept of the 'Academy of Football,' centred around Malcolm Allison and all
those 1950s Hammers players who went on to manage leading clubs and
introduce innovative ideas and tactics?
The above summary of the clubs 'greats' is by definition personal and
subjective. I am sure that every fan will have their own views and will both
agree/disagree with my choices and put forward other excellent names for
inclusion. That is fair enough, because it is the nature of the exercise.
So, what is the best possible way of recognising the contributions of all
our 'greats?' Well, firstly I would like to float the idea that the club
launch a 'Hammers Hall of Fame' and a set up nominating body composed of
supporters, ex-players and other stakeholders, who would be formally charged
with deciding who/what should be inducted. This would be reviewed and names
added annually. The 'Hall of Fame' can cover the above categories and
establish a baseline for the offical recognition of the club greats.There
could also be an online website and travelling exhibition, dedicated to the
Hall of Fame, to help engage with youngsters/supporters and promote the
history of the club in the community.
At the redeveloped Upton Park, each of the residential blocks should be
named after most famous Hammers elected to the Hall of Fame. Also the street
names could commemorate great Hammers cup victories. At the centre of the
re-development should be the proposed Bobby moore statute. But around it
could also be installed stone plaques celebrating the most famous Hammers
sides to play at Upton Park and their achievements, again nominated by the
Hall of Fame.
Finally, the stands of the OS will be presumably named after Hammers greats,
but what about the main approach road leading up to the OS being transformed
in to an 'Avenue of Hammers Legends,' with projected images/display boards
celebrating famous players on one side and achievements/events on the other.
It may be that this Avenue will need to be in a format which can be
disassembled out of season and re-assembled in close season, depending on
the existing agreement with the authorities running the OS and Park. Or,
alternatively, perhaps it can be left in situ permanently? This 'Avenue'
will lead up to a re-situated 'Champions' statute, which would have pride of
place at the main entrance.
Through these mechanisms/proposals the history of the club could be
celebrated in its broadest sense, with some of our greatest names honoured.
Moreover, it could be used to engage and educate youngsters and the
community about their club. To be inducted in to the Hall of Fame would be a
great club honour and ensure that our best players are formally recognized.
Plus, the beauty of a 'Hall of Fame' is that is not closed or exclusively
rooted in the distant past, new heroes, perceived greats and future honours
can be nominated and added. The 'Avenue of legends' would inspire fans
before each match and project the history of the club in a very visible and
positive way.
I know that following the announcement of the sale and redevelopment of
Upton Park, there was to be a call for suggestions about what could be
included at the future site. This goes one step further by extending it to
the OS and under-pinning it all with the defining concept of an Hall of
Fame. It is placed in the public sphere to obtain fellow fans views and
perhaps get it considered by the club. I am sure that the proposals could be
highly effective and adopted with minmium cost to the club. Perhaps they
might even attract commercial sponsorship to fund them?
SJ. Chandos.
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Ravel Morrison insists: I DO know who Gazza is - and I'll try to be as good
as him
Mar 09, 2014 22:00 By James Nursey
The Mirrpr
Ravel Morrison insists he has heard of Paul Gascoigne after all and is
anxious to live up to comparisons with the England legend. Birmingham boss
Lee Clark, who had Morrison on loan at St Andrews last term, played with
Gascoigne at Newcastle. Clark reckons Rangers' on loan West Ham ace is the
nearest thing to Gazza despite claiming Morrison was not familiar with the
England legend. Former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough
and Everton midfielder Gascoigne won 57 England caps before retiring in 2004
and is considered one of England's biggest ever talents. Ex-Manchester
United trainee Morrison also has a huge reputation despite dropping down
into the Championship after recently being farmed out by the Hammers.
Morrison underlined his massive potential with classy strikes in either half
at Birmingham. And asked if he really did not know of Paul Gascoigne, he
explained: "I had, but I didn't know who he was referring to at the time as
in Gazza! "But I've caught on who Paul Gascoigne is yes. He was a special
player, I'll try to be as good as him."
Morrison was tipped to go to the World Cup with England after starting the
season in impressive form with West Ham in the top-flight. But he lost his
place amid an injury and a contract wrangle and was then loaned to relegated
Rangers. Morrison added: "West Ham are doing really well at the moment,
everyone got back fit. I wasn't getting a good chance there. So I came to
QPR hoping to play and the manager's given me a chance." Morrison bagged a
superb free-kick in the 14th minute and a slick second-half finish 17
minutes from time on his third QPR appearance. He looked a class apart
against struggling City and his display is a huge tonic to promotion-chasing
Rangers and under-pressure boss Harry Redknapp after a five-game winless
streak. Defender Nedum Onuoha, 27, said: "Ravel is a boost for us. Other
teams will also look in and see what players we have. "He was very good for
us at Birmingham. He keeps impressing us with his work-rate and his ability
as well. "If he can keep doing that between now and the end of the season we
will be very happy."
Onuoha is now hoping Morrison can provide both the goals and assists to
compensate for top scorer Charlie Austin's absence with injury. He added:
"The loss of Charlie was big. But as a team we need to score more goals as
individuals. "If Ravel can do it then so be it but his main role is a
play-maker and trying to give people opportunities. He is good in training
and hopefully things are looking up now. "We had a dip but we have addressed
the situation and we can kick on between now and the end of the season and
have a chance. "I think you have to be optimistic. We are going into games
trying to win them. "Although things aren't in our hands the least we can do
is apply pressure to those above."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harry Redknapp says Sir Alex Ferguson recommended Ravel Morrison
Last Updated: 09/03/14 8:51pm
SSN
QPR manager Harry Redknapp has praised on-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison,
whilst revealing he has been monitoring the former Manchester United man for
nine years. Morrison bagged a brace as QPR beat Birmingham City 2-0 on
Saturday, with Blues boss Lee Clark likening the 21-year-old to Paul
Gascoigne.
Redknapp also lauded the youngster's performance at St Andrews, and says
that former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson recommended the player when
he was 12 years old. "What a player he is," the QPR manager told Get West
London. "I've followed his career from when he was a 12-year-old and what
Sir Alex told me. For whatever reason he's been let go, but we're glad we've
got him. "He's a real talent and he rode tackles and took his goals well. We
wasted opportunities and they were always in the game - but this is a
massive win for us."
The victory was their first in six games, but the Rs remain eight points
adrift of the automatic play-off spots following Burnley's 2-1 win over
Blackburn on Sunday. However, Redknapp is still hopeful of a return to the
Premier League and was thankful that fellow promotion candidates Derby and
Nottingham Forest fell to defeats on Saturday. He said: "They were big
results and vital games. There are no easy games in this division."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harry Redknapp wants Modibo Maiga to show his quality
Last Updated: 09/03/14 10:11pm
SSN
QPR manager Harry Redknapp has demanded more from on-loan striker Modibo
Maiga, who has scored just one goal for the Rs. Maiga joined from West Ham
United on deadline day, along with fellow strikers Kevin Doyle and Will
Keane. Following a disappointing start to his stint at Loftus Road, the
26-year-old has dropped down the pecking order and has played just 65
minutes since his debut goal against Burnley on February 1. With the former
Sochaux man failing to make an impact so far, Redknapp believes Maiga has
not done enough to warrant a place in his starting XI. "He's got make me
want to pick him," the Rs boss told Get West London. "It's true he's from a
Premier League club but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there with
Wolves two years ago."
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WHUFC.com
Full-back Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad were unlucky in defeat to
Liverpool on Friday
09.03.2014
Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad didn't get the rub of the green in
their 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Friday
night.
The young Hammers fell behind on the stroke of half-time to a ricochet off
Jack Dunn which deceived Raphael Spiegel and rolled into the net after the
home side had been firmly in control of proceedings. Dunn scored a second
with 77 minutes on the clock to seal the win for the visitors, but Knoyle
felt the first goal had dented the Hammers' confidence. He told West Ham TV:
"We played very well and the defeat was unlucky because we conceded just
before half-time.
"The manner of the goal as well, it bobbled awkwardly and Rapha couldn't get
to it. I thought we had the majority of the chances and if we had scored
after their first goal, then I think we would have gone onto win it. "The
goal came just before half-time, so our heads went down just a bit but if
we'd have managed to keep it at 0-0 then the game would be open and anything
could happen."
The Hammers more than held their own against a Liverpool side, who arrived
at Rush Green in second place in the table and contained Brazilian
international Lucas Leiva, and France international Mamadou Sakho. Elliot
Lee saw an effort strike the post while he was also denied by the visiting
keeper along with Sebastian Lletget and Josh Cullen in an opening period
which the home side dominated. Right-back Knoyle was disappointed with the
result but felt the experience of playing against two international players
could only benefit him as a footballer. "We were doing well defensively,
everyone was working hard and had we got a goal we would have been set for
the match. "We were unlucky that we conceded the first goal and the manner
of it was disappointing. "It can only be good for me as a first year and
playing against players like this is only going to make me a better player."
Knoyle himself had only returned just in time for the match after playing a
part for the England Under-18s against Croatia at St George's Park. While
the Three Lions lost both matches against their visitors, Knoyle believes
the experience of representing his country can only improve him as a player.
"They had two full internationals out there tonight, in the shape of Lucas
and Sakho and everyone played well. Everyone worked hard for the team and we
showed that we could be just as good as them on the night. "Every time you
go and represent England it's a great experience where you're learning and
picking things up from the game. "It's good for my CV that I've played for
England and the fact that im playing for the Under-21s is only good for me."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
George no stranger to stadium move
WHUFC.com
George McCartney recalled Sunderland's big move on his visit to West Ham
United's future home in Stratford
08.03.2014
If any player knows the benefits of moving to a bigger, state-of-the-art
stadium, it is West Ham United defender George McCartney. McCartney was just
16 when he travelled over from his native Northern Ireland for a trial with
Sunderland in May 1997, during which he attended a farewell match against
Liverpool at the Black Cats' Roker Park stadium. The trial was successful
and the defender signed on as a trainee. Two years later, he turned
professional and moved into his first home - a flat on the estate
constructed on the site vacated by Roker Park. In September 2000, McCartney
made his first-team debut for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light before
going on to captain the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League five
years later. Now 32, the Northern Irishman says the club's move to their
49,000-seater new home played a big part in the success Sunderland have
enjoyed over the past 15 seasons - eleven of which have been spent in the
Premier League. West Ham are now a little more than two years away from
moving to the Olympic Stadium, with the announcement that the Boleyn Ground
will be re-developed for new homes, retail and leisure facilities for local
people, as well as the development of a central landscaped garden, which
would be named the Bobby Moore Memorial Garden. McCartney believes the
Hammers, like Sunderland, will also benefit from their big move.
"The first-ever time I went across to Sunderland when I was 16, I went to
the last match at Roker Park against Liverpool," said McCartney. "it is hard
to believe that stadium has been transformed from a football stadium into
apartments and that's where my first house was! "I was there for the last
game at Roker Park, then they moved into the new stadium. When you look at
Sunderland now, they have a great stadium, a great training ground and they
have everything in place to be a top club. "From what I remember, Roker Park
didn't hold that many people - not even half as many as the Stadium of Light
does - so to go from having 15 or 20,000 every week to having 45,000 every
week made a big difference, and it can do for West Ham too."
McCartney joined team-mate James Tomkins and apprentices George Skuce and
Mohamed Mohamed from technology specialists Imtech at the Olympic Stadium,
where they helped the two east London-born electricians with their work on
redeveloping West Ham's new home. The visit formed part of National
Apprenticeship Week, which is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship
Service and designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact
they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. "It does look a
bit different now," said the No3. "Back in August, there was a bit of grass
on the pitch and the roof structure was still on, but now we've come back
and it actually looks a lot bigger than it did a few months ago. "Now they
have taken the running track out and the roof off, it is a big open space,
but I can see they are in the process of getting everything ready to
transform it into a football stadium. "Nowadays, football clubs need a big
amount of revenue to run at Premier League level in a competitive way.
Obviously Upton Park is a great stadium with a lot of history behind it, but
for West Ham to move to the next level, they need a stadium like this. "I'm
sure, when all the supporters start coming along every weekend and
supporting the team, they'll realise what sort of stadium the Club has got
here and they'll be happy in the long run. "For the Club itself, the money
and interest it will generate and the new players it will attract, West Ham
need this. It's not much to look at now, but in a year or two's time it is
going to be a great stadium to be part of."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s stay in title hunt
WHUFC.com
West Ham United scored a 3-0 Barclays U18 Premier League South victory at
Arsenal to stay second in the table
09.03.2014
West Ham United U18s kept the pressure on at the top of the Barclays U18
Premier League South with a 3-0 demolition of Arsenal on Saturday morning.
Early goals in the opening eight minutes from captain Kieran Bywater and
Jerry Amoo set the Hammers on their way to victory, before Emmanuel
Onariase's (pictured) rare strike near the end settled the tie. West Ham's
win meant they kept pace with leaders Fulham, who scored a 3-0 win at
Chelsea on Friday. The pair both sit on 49 points from 22 matches played.
Both teams have eight games remaining. U18 boss Steve Potts made just two
changes to the side that beat league leaders Fulham away two weeks ago, with
right-back Alex Pike replacing Josh Pask in defence, along with Amoo
stepping in to replace schoolboy Grady Diangana. With the Hammers looking to
take their recent win streak to six games, they got off to the perfect start
at London Colney when Amoo used his speed to get away down the right, before
cutting a ball back to the edge of the box for Bywater to snatch his 17th
league goal of the season. Then, just three minutes later, Amoo turned from
provider to scorer when he charged through two or three opposition defenders
before firing low past Gunners goalkeeper Ryan Huddart. After that, the game
seemed to slow down in terms of attacking opportunities, with both teams
battling in the centre of the pitch to gain control of the game. Just after
the hour-mark, Arsenal had a rare chance on goal when the ball fell kindly
to Kaylen Hinds on the edge of the box, but the youngster rushed his volley.
As Arsenal looked to step up their performance, a mix-up in midfield saw
Amoo given a free run towards goal and, after settling himself, his effort
was palmed clear by the strong hands of Huddart. If Arsenal felt that they
had got away with conceding another goal, the travelling Hammers secured the
three points with a third late in the second half. Bywater's deep cross was
met at the far post by Reece Burke, who expertly brought the ball back
across the face of the goal for Onariase to finish. It almost got even worse
for the Gunners in the closing minutes when West Ham substitute Bailey was
released through the back line by Bywater, but unfortunately he blazed his
shot well wide of the target.
The Hammers' next league fixture is a trip to Leicester City on Saturday 15
March, with an 11.30am kick off.
U18s: Howes, Pike (Pask), Harney, Onariase, Burke, Nasha, Makasi, Amoo,
Brown (Martins), Bywater, Parfitt-Williams (Bailey)
Sub not used: Nemrava
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
HOW CAN WE BEST HONOUR THE CLUBS 'GREATS' - PAST AND FUTURE!
By S J Chandos 9 Mar 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die
Bobby Moore is West Ham's greatest player. He is also England's, and
arguably international football's, finest ever defender and captain. As
such, his place in his club and country's history must always be honoured.
It is only right that his legacy should be central to both the plans for the
development of the Olympic Stadium and redevelopment of a vacated Upton
Park. That all goes without saying, but still, an outstanding issue for me
is how the club can most appropriately remember the other 'greats' that have
made invaluable contributions to our history.
For instance, what about our first ever England international, Danny Shea;
our first striking superstar Syd Puddefoot; or our all time record goal
scorer Vic Watson. Similiarly, one could also point to formidible centre
half, Big Jim Barrett Snr; central defensive pivot and captain, George Kaye;
goal scoring left-winger Jimmy Ruffell; inside-right Stanley Earle; winger,
Stan Foxell; tricky forward Johnny Morton; or the last great amateur player,
V.W.T Gibbins. What about the claims of that 'Prince amongst Inside
Forwards,' Len Goulden, a genuine contender for the title of the club's
greatest ever creative midfielder. Then amongst our past goal keepers, there
are such great shot stoppers as Ted Hufton, Ernie Gregory, Phil Parkes and
Ludo Miklosko. Unquestionably four of the best custodians to appear for any
English club.
Nearer our own time, there is the prolific 1957-58 striking partnership of
Vic Keeble and John Dick; the exciting attacking full-back partnership of
John Bond and Noel Cantwell; the deadly McAvennie-Cottee combination that
nearly fired us to the 1st Division title in 1985-86; the rock solid
defensive midfielder, Andy Malcolm; and, of course, the skillful and deadly
Johnny Byrne. And this leads us to a group of players, who are second only
to Bobby Moore in receiving official recognition from the club for their
achievements. These include, Sir Geoff Hurst; Martin Peters; Sir Trevor
Brooking, Billy Bonds and Paolo Di Canio. While there are others such as
Alan Devonshire, Ronnie Boyce, Alvin martin, Ray Stewart, Tony Gale, Julian
Dicks, Pop Robson, Graham Paddon and David Cross who arguably deserve more
recognition.
Then there is a unique category of player whose contributions to the history
of the club are directly linked to a single famous victory. Amongst these
are included: Alan Taylor's goal scoring a feats in winning the1975 FA Cup;
Alan Sealey's famous double in the 1965 ECWC Final; Sam Small's winning goal
in the 1940 War League Cup Final; and Bobby Zamora and Richardo Vaz Te's,
respective, winning goals in the 2005 and 2012 Championship Play-off Finals.
Similiarly there needs to be recognition of the 'international Hammers.' who
have been capped by their countries whilst with the club; as well as the
great/best Hammers sides. In this latter category are the 1923 and 2006 FA
Cup Finalists; the 1940 League War Cup winners; the 1964, 1975 and 1980 FA
Cup winners; the 1965 ECWC winners and 1976 ECWC Finalists; the 1985-86
title challenging side; the 1966 and 1981 League Cup Finalists; the 1957-58
and 1980-81 2nd Division Championship winners; the the 2005 and 2012
Play-off Championship winners.
There must be further recognition of the greatest Hammers managers,
principally Ron Greenwood and Johnny Lyall, but also the others based on
their achievements. Plus there might also be acknowledgement of influential
figures, such as Arnold Hills, Billy Moore. Wally St pier, Tony Carr, Ernie
Gregory and Eddie Bailey who have made a unique individual contribution to
the club on a number of different levels. What about the famous and original
concept of the 'Academy of Football,' centred around Malcolm Allison and all
those 1950s Hammers players who went on to manage leading clubs and
introduce innovative ideas and tactics?
The above summary of the clubs 'greats' is by definition personal and
subjective. I am sure that every fan will have their own views and will both
agree/disagree with my choices and put forward other excellent names for
inclusion. That is fair enough, because it is the nature of the exercise.
So, what is the best possible way of recognising the contributions of all
our 'greats?' Well, firstly I would like to float the idea that the club
launch a 'Hammers Hall of Fame' and a set up nominating body composed of
supporters, ex-players and other stakeholders, who would be formally charged
with deciding who/what should be inducted. This would be reviewed and names
added annually. The 'Hall of Fame' can cover the above categories and
establish a baseline for the offical recognition of the club greats.There
could also be an online website and travelling exhibition, dedicated to the
Hall of Fame, to help engage with youngsters/supporters and promote the
history of the club in the community.
At the redeveloped Upton Park, each of the residential blocks should be
named after most famous Hammers elected to the Hall of Fame. Also the street
names could commemorate great Hammers cup victories. At the centre of the
re-development should be the proposed Bobby moore statute. But around it
could also be installed stone plaques celebrating the most famous Hammers
sides to play at Upton Park and their achievements, again nominated by the
Hall of Fame.
Finally, the stands of the OS will be presumably named after Hammers greats,
but what about the main approach road leading up to the OS being transformed
in to an 'Avenue of Hammers Legends,' with projected images/display boards
celebrating famous players on one side and achievements/events on the other.
It may be that this Avenue will need to be in a format which can be
disassembled out of season and re-assembled in close season, depending on
the existing agreement with the authorities running the OS and Park. Or,
alternatively, perhaps it can be left in situ permanently? This 'Avenue'
will lead up to a re-situated 'Champions' statute, which would have pride of
place at the main entrance.
Through these mechanisms/proposals the history of the club could be
celebrated in its broadest sense, with some of our greatest names honoured.
Moreover, it could be used to engage and educate youngsters and the
community about their club. To be inducted in to the Hall of Fame would be a
great club honour and ensure that our best players are formally recognized.
Plus, the beauty of a 'Hall of Fame' is that is not closed or exclusively
rooted in the distant past, new heroes, perceived greats and future honours
can be nominated and added. The 'Avenue of legends' would inspire fans
before each match and project the history of the club in a very visible and
positive way.
I know that following the announcement of the sale and redevelopment of
Upton Park, there was to be a call for suggestions about what could be
included at the future site. This goes one step further by extending it to
the OS and under-pinning it all with the defining concept of an Hall of
Fame. It is placed in the public sphere to obtain fellow fans views and
perhaps get it considered by the club. I am sure that the proposals could be
highly effective and adopted with minmium cost to the club. Perhaps they
might even attract commercial sponsorship to fund them?
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison insists: I DO know who Gazza is - and I'll try to be as good
as him
Mar 09, 2014 22:00 By James Nursey
The Mirrpr
Ravel Morrison insists he has heard of Paul Gascoigne after all and is
anxious to live up to comparisons with the England legend. Birmingham boss
Lee Clark, who had Morrison on loan at St Andrews last term, played with
Gascoigne at Newcastle. Clark reckons Rangers' on loan West Ham ace is the
nearest thing to Gazza despite claiming Morrison was not familiar with the
England legend. Former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough
and Everton midfielder Gascoigne won 57 England caps before retiring in 2004
and is considered one of England's biggest ever talents. Ex-Manchester
United trainee Morrison also has a huge reputation despite dropping down
into the Championship after recently being farmed out by the Hammers.
Morrison underlined his massive potential with classy strikes in either half
at Birmingham. And asked if he really did not know of Paul Gascoigne, he
explained: "I had, but I didn't know who he was referring to at the time as
in Gazza! "But I've caught on who Paul Gascoigne is yes. He was a special
player, I'll try to be as good as him."
Morrison was tipped to go to the World Cup with England after starting the
season in impressive form with West Ham in the top-flight. But he lost his
place amid an injury and a contract wrangle and was then loaned to relegated
Rangers. Morrison added: "West Ham are doing really well at the moment,
everyone got back fit. I wasn't getting a good chance there. So I came to
QPR hoping to play and the manager's given me a chance." Morrison bagged a
superb free-kick in the 14th minute and a slick second-half finish 17
minutes from time on his third QPR appearance. He looked a class apart
against struggling City and his display is a huge tonic to promotion-chasing
Rangers and under-pressure boss Harry Redknapp after a five-game winless
streak. Defender Nedum Onuoha, 27, said: "Ravel is a boost for us. Other
teams will also look in and see what players we have. "He was very good for
us at Birmingham. He keeps impressing us with his work-rate and his ability
as well. "If he can keep doing that between now and the end of the season we
will be very happy."
Onuoha is now hoping Morrison can provide both the goals and assists to
compensate for top scorer Charlie Austin's absence with injury. He added:
"The loss of Charlie was big. But as a team we need to score more goals as
individuals. "If Ravel can do it then so be it but his main role is a
play-maker and trying to give people opportunities. He is good in training
and hopefully things are looking up now. "We had a dip but we have addressed
the situation and we can kick on between now and the end of the season and
have a chance. "I think you have to be optimistic. We are going into games
trying to win them. "Although things aren't in our hands the least we can do
is apply pressure to those above."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harry Redknapp says Sir Alex Ferguson recommended Ravel Morrison
Last Updated: 09/03/14 8:51pm
SSN
QPR manager Harry Redknapp has praised on-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison,
whilst revealing he has been monitoring the former Manchester United man for
nine years. Morrison bagged a brace as QPR beat Birmingham City 2-0 on
Saturday, with Blues boss Lee Clark likening the 21-year-old to Paul
Gascoigne.
Redknapp also lauded the youngster's performance at St Andrews, and says
that former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson recommended the player when
he was 12 years old. "What a player he is," the QPR manager told Get West
London. "I've followed his career from when he was a 12-year-old and what
Sir Alex told me. For whatever reason he's been let go, but we're glad we've
got him. "He's a real talent and he rode tackles and took his goals well. We
wasted opportunities and they were always in the game - but this is a
massive win for us."
The victory was their first in six games, but the Rs remain eight points
adrift of the automatic play-off spots following Burnley's 2-1 win over
Blackburn on Sunday. However, Redknapp is still hopeful of a return to the
Premier League and was thankful that fellow promotion candidates Derby and
Nottingham Forest fell to defeats on Saturday. He said: "They were big
results and vital games. There are no easy games in this division."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harry Redknapp wants Modibo Maiga to show his quality
Last Updated: 09/03/14 10:11pm
SSN
QPR manager Harry Redknapp has demanded more from on-loan striker Modibo
Maiga, who has scored just one goal for the Rs. Maiga joined from West Ham
United on deadline day, along with fellow strikers Kevin Doyle and Will
Keane. Following a disappointing start to his stint at Loftus Road, the
26-year-old has dropped down the pecking order and has played just 65
minutes since his debut goal against Burnley on February 1. With the former
Sochaux man failing to make an impact so far, Redknapp believes Maiga has
not done enough to warrant a place in his starting XI. "He's got make me
want to pick him," the Rs boss told Get West London. "It's true he's from a
Premier League club but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there with
Wolves two years ago."
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Sunday, March 9
Daily WHUFC News - 9th March 2014
Joey on the mend
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien is working hard to come back from the shoulder injury he
suffered in January
08.03.2014
West Ham United defender Joey O'Brien is on the comeback trail after
stepping up his recovery from the dislocated shoulder he suffered against
Chelsea in January. The Republic of Ireland international sustained the
injury in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on 29 January after falling
awkwardly in the second half of the stalemate. O'Brien underwent shoulder
surgery shortly after the incident and has been on a light training regime
since, but he now hopes to step-up the intensity of his training with the
blessing of the surgeon. He told West Ham TV: "It's four weeks now since I
had the operation. I'm heading back to the surgeon soon and hopefully he
will give me the all-clear to step-up my training a little bit and do a
little bit more. "I've been doing really basic stuff since the operation
like getting it out of the sling and trying to get the movement back. I've
mainly just been doing really low-level strengthening exercises. Hopefully
I'll get the all-clear and then I can step it up. "I don't really know when
I'll be back yet to be honest with you. I have to wait and see what the
surgeon says and then we'll go from there."
The performance of O'Brien and the rest of the team against the Blues
inspired a run of five matches unbeaten, with four of those wins, lifting
the Hammers out of the relegation zone and into the top ten. Even after
being substituted against Chelsea, the defender insisted on watching the
final minutes of the game from the side of the pitch and he says the
disappointment of getting injured has been cushioned by the team's fine
form. "I said after I had done my shoulder that I wanted to come back out of
the doctor's room and watch the last couple of minutes, watch us hang on.
"After that game I was asked and I said that if we go on and win the next
three games then I'd have taken this injury and do the nine weeks out or
whatever it's going to be. "It's worked out nicely, so hopefully we can get
another couple of wins on the board and we can relax."
Seven points now separate Sam Allardyce's side from the relegation zone,
compared to the two points they were adrift of safety when bad luck struck
for O'Brien, but the Irishman doesn't believe the Hammers can rest on their
laurels just yet. "We're not safe yet and we still need a few more wins. The
lads know that the quicker you get them, the better. "When you get the
points on the board you can relax and when that little bit of pressure is
off you it seems easier to play and enjoy your football. "The wins can come
easier when you're relaxed and playing a bit more care-free. Hopefully we
can get the points early and enjoy the rest of the season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New date needed for Arsenal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's trip to Arsenal on 13 April has been postponed due to the
Gunners' FA Cup progress
08.03.2014
A new date will need to be found for West Ham United's Barclays Premier
League trip to Arsenal after the Gunners saw off Everton 4-1 in the FA Cup
with Budweiser on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers were due to travel to the
Emirates Stadium on Sunday 13 April, but that date now clashes with
Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final commitments. whufc.com will announce the new
date as soon as it is confirmed.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nick rues 'nearly night'
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock felt his side weren't far away from earning an impressive
result against Liverpool
08.03.2014
Nick Haycock felt that small margins determined the outcome of the
Development Squad's 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League defeat to Liverpool
at Rush Green on Friday night. The Hammers were the dominant force for the
most part of the first half and were unlucky not to be ahead when Elliot
Lee's acrobatic effort rebounded off the post before rolling clear of
danger. As the first period drew to a close, Liverpool went ahead when
Kristoff Peterson's shot struck Jack Dunn and the goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel
failed to deal with his effort which snuck past him into the corner. Dunn
wrapped the game up for the away side with 13 minutes left when he put the
finishing touches to a flowing Liverpool move, leaving Haycock ruing the
fine margins which cost his side. He told West Ham TV: "I enjoyed the game,
I've just said to the boys in there that it was a nearly night. "The game
itself, we were unlucky not to go 1-0 up with Elliot's chance and Sebby
follows up but it just shaves the post. When Elliot hit the post they're the
ones that can hit the post and go in or hit the post and come out for
someone else to tap in, on this occasion it went clear of danger. "The goal
before half-time was a mistake, it's a deflection, but it's a mistake. We
had to live with that and try to raise ourselves at half-time because we
felt that the minimum we deserved at half-time was to be level. "On chances
I thought we deserved to be in front, in terms of possession you expect a
Liverpool team to have a lot, but again I thought we had some good passing
moments ourselves at times. We're working on building a new team, with young
players in there, and they'll only learn from playing in games like that."
Liverpool who sat second in the table at the start of the night, fielded a
strong line-up including regular first team duo Lucas Leiva and Mamadou
Sakho amongst their starting XI. Despite the visitors' strong line-up, the
home side had them on the back foot for the majority of the first half and
Haycock admitted his disappointment at conceding just before the interval.
"I think they started the game better, we obviously had the first chance and
I thought we got to grips with how we were going to get after the ball which
I was pleased with because we've done a lot of work on that. "I thought we
grew into the game and you're thinking that you're going to go in 0-0 and
then the deflection doesn't kill you, but deflates you a little bit and you
have to raise them again. I've seen games where Liverpool will go and get
two, three, four because of that and I never felt that would happen because
of the sheer endeavour that the boys show most weeks. "At times, if the
final pass, cross or set-piece would have been a little bit better then I
thought there were goals there for us tonight. It was a nearly night against
a good Liverpool team."
Despite the loss, the Development Squad boss felt his players could only
learn from the match, particularly young midfielder Josh Cullen. "You've got
Josh Cullen who's only 17 years old still, playing against a Brazilian
international. People will say it's about winning, yes, but I've gone in
there and said 'don't be happy that you've lost the game, but put the
experience in your pocket'. "It was a great experience for him in particular
because it's in the middle of the park and the heat of the battle where he
wants to be and it was a great night for him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison 'the best since Paul Gascoigne', says Lee Clark
BBC.co.uk
Ravel Morrison is the best footballer since Paul Gascoigne, according to
Birmingham manager Lee Clark. Morrison, on loan at QPR from West Ham, scored
both goals to secure his team's 2-0 win at Birmingham. The 21-year-old spent
last season on loan at St Andrew's under Clark, who is disappointed that
Morrison looks unlikely to make Roy Hodgson's England's World Cup squad. "He
is the best footballer since Paul Gascoigne," Clark said.
Ravel Morrison's career
Born: 2 February 1993, Wythenshawe, south Manchester
Manchester Utd: Comes through the academy to make his debut on 26 October
2010 but only makes three first-team appearances
West Ham: Joins Hammers in January 2012 on a three-and-a-half year deal
after Sir Alex Ferguson says his wage demands are "unrealistic"
Goes on loan to Birmingham City in 2012-13 season, scoring three goals in 30
games
Scores five goals in 21 appearances on his return to West Ham in 2013-14
Joins QPR for the rest of the season in February after falling out of favour
at West Ham
Former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton
midfielder Gascoigne, who won 57 England caps and retired in 2004, is
renowned as one of his country's best ever players. Clark added: "If Paul
Gascoigne had not done his knee he would have become the best player in the
world. "I played with Paul. I grew up with Paul. The only thing is that
Ravel doesn't know who Paul Gascoigne is! "[Morrison] has the pace of a
wide-man. He has the balance but plays in the middle of the pitch because he
can manoeuvre the ball."
Clark feels that it is only England U21 international Morrison's attitude
that is holding him back. The Birmingham manager thinks that working with
Harry Redknapp will help bring the best out of Morrison, who joined QPR on
loan for the rest of the season in February. He said: "Ravel can score
goals, as we have seen. It is what is between the ears with him and he knows
about this problem. "He now has a perfect manager because Harry Redknapp
loves those type of players. Ravel can change games and I thought he was a
class act against Birmingham. "I was hoping that he would continue doing it
for West Ham because I would love to see him on that plane to Brazil. "He
would certainly be capable of doing something for England coming off the
bench for 10 minutes in any environment."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REDKNAPP GIVES HIS PRELIMINARY VERDICT ON LOANEE MAIGA!
By S J Chandos 8 Mar 2014 at 16:30
West Ham Till I Die
There was an interesting article in the 'get west london' local newspaper
conveying Harry Redknapp's preliminary verdict on Modibo Maiga's loan period
at Loftus Road. The QPR Manager frankly admits that Maiga has been
'underwhelming' since arriving on loan in January. And there is a
discernible aspect of genuine disappointment in Redknapp's comments, because
Maiga is a player that he has coveted since his more free scoring days in
French football with Sochaux. Yet, the reality of working with the Mali
international striker is apparently not in line with the anticipation, with
both fellow loanees, Will Keane (Manchester Utd) and Kevin Doyle (Wolves)
pushing Maiga down the first team selection pecking order.
And it all started so well, with Maiga appearing as a late substitute, on
his debut, and scoring the equaliser in a 3-3 home draw with Burnley.
However, the article makes the telling point that since making his dramatic
debut, Maiga has only played 65 minutes of first team football in two 1-0
defeats. Redknapp is quoted as admitting that he has found it hard to
include the 26 year old in his side, stating that:
'Yeah, he's got to make me want to pick him (Maiga). It's true that he's
from a Premier League club, but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there
with Wolves two years ago'
So, it appears that Maiga's disappointing time at West Ham is being
replicated during his loan spell at QPR. It was widely anticipated that
Maiga would excel on dropping down a tier of football to the Championship.
Yet, the early indications are that it is just not happening. Why is that
the case? Is there a underlining problem relating to attitude or
application; is English football just too physically demanding for the
player; or is he not being properly utilised to maximise the positive
aspects of his strike play?
Maiga has generally blown 'cold' at West Ham, with the odd bit of 'hot' play
creating the impression that there was much more still to come from him. He
has tended to struggle in a lone striker role, but there were signs at times
that he was starting to adapt to it. Although one has tended to wonder if he
would have performed better playing as a second striker in a 4-4-2
formation? A proposition that has not been tested at West Ham. And amid a
number of non-discript performances, there were some tantalising glimpses of
ability and striking prowess to tempt us to urge the club to persevere with
the player. But, in view of the replication of this disappointing pattern at
QPR, would this summer be an opportune time to bid 'bon voyage' to Maiga and
sell him back to a French Club, and a national league, where his striking
skills are still highly rated?
We may not retrieve the original c.£5m fee, but perhaps he and Alou Diarra
could prove useful 'make weights' in striking a part-exchange deal(s) for
any summer transfer targets currently plying their trade in the French
League. That may be considered a disaapointing conclusion to both players
time at the club, but some times you just have sell because its in the
mutual interest of both the club and the players to do so. And so much the
better if, in the process, they can help us land any of our summer targets.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AT THE START OF THE SEASON?
By Sean Whetstone 8 Mar 2014 at 09:21
West Ham Till I Die
Back in July last year I was asked to answer some questions by Colchester
United for their official programme when we played them in a pre-season
friendly.
I recently came across my answers again on my computer and was amused about
what my expectations were pre season. Feel free to share how you would of
answered these questions without the benefit of hindsight.
I have included the full article below as it appeared in the Colchester v
West ham United programme.
1) What are the Hammers fans' expectations for the coming season?
Well it's that tricky second season back in the top flight. In many ways we
would love to replicate our first season back and achieve a top 10 placing
but honestly, most old school hammers fans will say as long as we don't get
relegated we will be more than happy surviving the second season syndrome.
Our primary goal is to stabilise the club from any yo-yo characteristics
between divisions.
2) What do you make of the transfer dealings so far this summer?
The majority of West Ham fans are pleased with our marquee signing of Andy
Carroll for a reported £15.5M plus add-ons. The minority may grumble it's a
lot of money to spend on one player or point to his injury record or the
media reports of high wages breaking the wage structure. However, the vast
majority are delighted the owners have invested in the club and we are
finally showing ambition.In other signings Sam Allardyce is a shrewd
operator in getting a good bargain often on a free transfer. His signings of
Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Collins and Momo Diame on next to nothing were a
great successes at West Ham.Let's hope Adrian, Razvan Rat & Danny Whitehead
live all up to that previous success rate. Also if Ravel Morrison, Modibo
Maiga and Alou Diarra hang around past the summer they will be like new
signings for West Ham. Manchester United reject Ravel Morrison has scored 2
in 2 for the first friendlies of the season and wants to prove Sir Alex
Ferguson wrong.
3) If you were Sam Allardyce, what areas of the team would you still be
looking to strengthen?
We need a plan B upfront when Andy Carroll isn't playing now that Carlton
Cole has left the club. We know Sam is unlikely to play two up front so we
need an Andy Carroll under study to fill the lone striker role when he can't
play. There is a chance Modibo Maiga can fulfil this role. He scored
brilliance with his goal against Chelsea when we beat the then European
champions 3-1.We also need a pacey winger with many names being linked with
us in the media.
4) Which emerging West Ham talents should fans be looking out for this
season?
Many fans were disappointed when Rob Hall recently left the club for Bolton
after joining us just 9 years old, but there are plenty of talent in Tony
Carr's Academy of Football. I am going to pick out some names as the ones to
watch.Barring the obvious of Danny Potts who was loaned to Colchester United
and who broke through to the first team, my West Ham insider who used to
work for West Ham tells me these are the players to watch. Paul McCallum
appears to be another that is highly valued by West ham back room staff. He
turned down many clubs to join the hammers and has obviously scored against
Cork in our first friendly of the season. Sean Maguire, dubbed "the Irish
Messi" has looked good in academy games last season.Younger players who have
a bright future and could be future players for the West ham academy are:
• Sam Howes who is a 15 year old goalkeeper that has already played
for West Ham under 18s and England under 16s. Despite our great academy it
is very rare that top goalkeepers come along but in this case it is thought
he will make the grade.
• Matt Carter is another under 16s central midfield player who has
attracted interest from some top clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool and is
regarded to possess a great engine and skill.
• Finally, Jordan Brown who recently signed from Arsenal, despite
being offered a new contract at Arsenal he chose to come here and has scored
3 goals for the England under 16s.
5) With a host of new managers in the division, how do you think the
Premier League will shape up in 2013/14?
What an exciting premier league season ahead. For me the manager changes
makes it interesting. West Ham Hero Paolo Di Canio in charge of the Black
cats for his first full season or as long as his roller coaster manager
journey lasts. The colourful Ian Holloway & play off final magician back
with Palace, the self styled special one at Chelsea, New managers at both
Manchester football teams both trying to win the title and out do the other
one and Everton without Moyes. Add a dash of Cardiff & Hull and you have a
recipe for a fantastic season both on the pitch and the managers post match
interviews.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Birmingham 0 - QPR 2: Ravel Morrison masterclass takes all three points
Daily Express
RAVEL MORRISON showed the class that once made the likes of Sir Alex
Ferguson sing his praises with a two-goal display against the club where he
spent last season on loan. Ravel Morrison struck QPR 039 s first and second
in their comfortable 2 0 win Ravel Morrison struck QPR's first and second in
their comfortable 2-0 win. His first came after 14 minutes when he curled a
free-kick past Darren Randolph after Paul Robinson had brought down Kevin
Doyle. He made sure of the victory with a super finish after Gary O'Neil and
Jermaine Jenas had set him up for his second goal in three starts since
Harry Redknapp took him on loan from West Ham. Redknapp's assistant Kevin
Bond said: "He's one of the most talented individuals and he'd be a credit
to anybody if he can apply himself and do what he did today." Blues boss Lee
Clark said: "Ravel's the best player since Paul Gascoigne."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien is working hard to come back from the shoulder injury he
suffered in January
08.03.2014
West Ham United defender Joey O'Brien is on the comeback trail after
stepping up his recovery from the dislocated shoulder he suffered against
Chelsea in January. The Republic of Ireland international sustained the
injury in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on 29 January after falling
awkwardly in the second half of the stalemate. O'Brien underwent shoulder
surgery shortly after the incident and has been on a light training regime
since, but he now hopes to step-up the intensity of his training with the
blessing of the surgeon. He told West Ham TV: "It's four weeks now since I
had the operation. I'm heading back to the surgeon soon and hopefully he
will give me the all-clear to step-up my training a little bit and do a
little bit more. "I've been doing really basic stuff since the operation
like getting it out of the sling and trying to get the movement back. I've
mainly just been doing really low-level strengthening exercises. Hopefully
I'll get the all-clear and then I can step it up. "I don't really know when
I'll be back yet to be honest with you. I have to wait and see what the
surgeon says and then we'll go from there."
The performance of O'Brien and the rest of the team against the Blues
inspired a run of five matches unbeaten, with four of those wins, lifting
the Hammers out of the relegation zone and into the top ten. Even after
being substituted against Chelsea, the defender insisted on watching the
final minutes of the game from the side of the pitch and he says the
disappointment of getting injured has been cushioned by the team's fine
form. "I said after I had done my shoulder that I wanted to come back out of
the doctor's room and watch the last couple of minutes, watch us hang on.
"After that game I was asked and I said that if we go on and win the next
three games then I'd have taken this injury and do the nine weeks out or
whatever it's going to be. "It's worked out nicely, so hopefully we can get
another couple of wins on the board and we can relax."
Seven points now separate Sam Allardyce's side from the relegation zone,
compared to the two points they were adrift of safety when bad luck struck
for O'Brien, but the Irishman doesn't believe the Hammers can rest on their
laurels just yet. "We're not safe yet and we still need a few more wins. The
lads know that the quicker you get them, the better. "When you get the
points on the board you can relax and when that little bit of pressure is
off you it seems easier to play and enjoy your football. "The wins can come
easier when you're relaxed and playing a bit more care-free. Hopefully we
can get the points early and enjoy the rest of the season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New date needed for Arsenal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's trip to Arsenal on 13 April has been postponed due to the
Gunners' FA Cup progress
08.03.2014
A new date will need to be found for West Ham United's Barclays Premier
League trip to Arsenal after the Gunners saw off Everton 4-1 in the FA Cup
with Budweiser on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers were due to travel to the
Emirates Stadium on Sunday 13 April, but that date now clashes with
Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final commitments. whufc.com will announce the new
date as soon as it is confirmed.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nick rues 'nearly night'
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock felt his side weren't far away from earning an impressive
result against Liverpool
08.03.2014
Nick Haycock felt that small margins determined the outcome of the
Development Squad's 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League defeat to Liverpool
at Rush Green on Friday night. The Hammers were the dominant force for the
most part of the first half and were unlucky not to be ahead when Elliot
Lee's acrobatic effort rebounded off the post before rolling clear of
danger. As the first period drew to a close, Liverpool went ahead when
Kristoff Peterson's shot struck Jack Dunn and the goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel
failed to deal with his effort which snuck past him into the corner. Dunn
wrapped the game up for the away side with 13 minutes left when he put the
finishing touches to a flowing Liverpool move, leaving Haycock ruing the
fine margins which cost his side. He told West Ham TV: "I enjoyed the game,
I've just said to the boys in there that it was a nearly night. "The game
itself, we were unlucky not to go 1-0 up with Elliot's chance and Sebby
follows up but it just shaves the post. When Elliot hit the post they're the
ones that can hit the post and go in or hit the post and come out for
someone else to tap in, on this occasion it went clear of danger. "The goal
before half-time was a mistake, it's a deflection, but it's a mistake. We
had to live with that and try to raise ourselves at half-time because we
felt that the minimum we deserved at half-time was to be level. "On chances
I thought we deserved to be in front, in terms of possession you expect a
Liverpool team to have a lot, but again I thought we had some good passing
moments ourselves at times. We're working on building a new team, with young
players in there, and they'll only learn from playing in games like that."
Liverpool who sat second in the table at the start of the night, fielded a
strong line-up including regular first team duo Lucas Leiva and Mamadou
Sakho amongst their starting XI. Despite the visitors' strong line-up, the
home side had them on the back foot for the majority of the first half and
Haycock admitted his disappointment at conceding just before the interval.
"I think they started the game better, we obviously had the first chance and
I thought we got to grips with how we were going to get after the ball which
I was pleased with because we've done a lot of work on that. "I thought we
grew into the game and you're thinking that you're going to go in 0-0 and
then the deflection doesn't kill you, but deflates you a little bit and you
have to raise them again. I've seen games where Liverpool will go and get
two, three, four because of that and I never felt that would happen because
of the sheer endeavour that the boys show most weeks. "At times, if the
final pass, cross or set-piece would have been a little bit better then I
thought there were goals there for us tonight. It was a nearly night against
a good Liverpool team."
Despite the loss, the Development Squad boss felt his players could only
learn from the match, particularly young midfielder Josh Cullen. "You've got
Josh Cullen who's only 17 years old still, playing against a Brazilian
international. People will say it's about winning, yes, but I've gone in
there and said 'don't be happy that you've lost the game, but put the
experience in your pocket'. "It was a great experience for him in particular
because it's in the middle of the park and the heat of the battle where he
wants to be and it was a great night for him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison 'the best since Paul Gascoigne', says Lee Clark
BBC.co.uk
Ravel Morrison is the best footballer since Paul Gascoigne, according to
Birmingham manager Lee Clark. Morrison, on loan at QPR from West Ham, scored
both goals to secure his team's 2-0 win at Birmingham. The 21-year-old spent
last season on loan at St Andrew's under Clark, who is disappointed that
Morrison looks unlikely to make Roy Hodgson's England's World Cup squad. "He
is the best footballer since Paul Gascoigne," Clark said.
Ravel Morrison's career
Born: 2 February 1993, Wythenshawe, south Manchester
Manchester Utd: Comes through the academy to make his debut on 26 October
2010 but only makes three first-team appearances
West Ham: Joins Hammers in January 2012 on a three-and-a-half year deal
after Sir Alex Ferguson says his wage demands are "unrealistic"
Goes on loan to Birmingham City in 2012-13 season, scoring three goals in 30
games
Scores five goals in 21 appearances on his return to West Ham in 2013-14
Joins QPR for the rest of the season in February after falling out of favour
at West Ham
Former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton
midfielder Gascoigne, who won 57 England caps and retired in 2004, is
renowned as one of his country's best ever players. Clark added: "If Paul
Gascoigne had not done his knee he would have become the best player in the
world. "I played with Paul. I grew up with Paul. The only thing is that
Ravel doesn't know who Paul Gascoigne is! "[Morrison] has the pace of a
wide-man. He has the balance but plays in the middle of the pitch because he
can manoeuvre the ball."
Clark feels that it is only England U21 international Morrison's attitude
that is holding him back. The Birmingham manager thinks that working with
Harry Redknapp will help bring the best out of Morrison, who joined QPR on
loan for the rest of the season in February. He said: "Ravel can score
goals, as we have seen. It is what is between the ears with him and he knows
about this problem. "He now has a perfect manager because Harry Redknapp
loves those type of players. Ravel can change games and I thought he was a
class act against Birmingham. "I was hoping that he would continue doing it
for West Ham because I would love to see him on that plane to Brazil. "He
would certainly be capable of doing something for England coming off the
bench for 10 minutes in any environment."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REDKNAPP GIVES HIS PRELIMINARY VERDICT ON LOANEE MAIGA!
By S J Chandos 8 Mar 2014 at 16:30
West Ham Till I Die
There was an interesting article in the 'get west london' local newspaper
conveying Harry Redknapp's preliminary verdict on Modibo Maiga's loan period
at Loftus Road. The QPR Manager frankly admits that Maiga has been
'underwhelming' since arriving on loan in January. And there is a
discernible aspect of genuine disappointment in Redknapp's comments, because
Maiga is a player that he has coveted since his more free scoring days in
French football with Sochaux. Yet, the reality of working with the Mali
international striker is apparently not in line with the anticipation, with
both fellow loanees, Will Keane (Manchester Utd) and Kevin Doyle (Wolves)
pushing Maiga down the first team selection pecking order.
And it all started so well, with Maiga appearing as a late substitute, on
his debut, and scoring the equaliser in a 3-3 home draw with Burnley.
However, the article makes the telling point that since making his dramatic
debut, Maiga has only played 65 minutes of first team football in two 1-0
defeats. Redknapp is quoted as admitting that he has found it hard to
include the 26 year old in his side, stating that:
'Yeah, he's got to make me want to pick him (Maiga). It's true that he's
from a Premier League club, but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there
with Wolves two years ago'
So, it appears that Maiga's disappointing time at West Ham is being
replicated during his loan spell at QPR. It was widely anticipated that
Maiga would excel on dropping down a tier of football to the Championship.
Yet, the early indications are that it is just not happening. Why is that
the case? Is there a underlining problem relating to attitude or
application; is English football just too physically demanding for the
player; or is he not being properly utilised to maximise the positive
aspects of his strike play?
Maiga has generally blown 'cold' at West Ham, with the odd bit of 'hot' play
creating the impression that there was much more still to come from him. He
has tended to struggle in a lone striker role, but there were signs at times
that he was starting to adapt to it. Although one has tended to wonder if he
would have performed better playing as a second striker in a 4-4-2
formation? A proposition that has not been tested at West Ham. And amid a
number of non-discript performances, there were some tantalising glimpses of
ability and striking prowess to tempt us to urge the club to persevere with
the player. But, in view of the replication of this disappointing pattern at
QPR, would this summer be an opportune time to bid 'bon voyage' to Maiga and
sell him back to a French Club, and a national league, where his striking
skills are still highly rated?
We may not retrieve the original c.£5m fee, but perhaps he and Alou Diarra
could prove useful 'make weights' in striking a part-exchange deal(s) for
any summer transfer targets currently plying their trade in the French
League. That may be considered a disaapointing conclusion to both players
time at the club, but some times you just have sell because its in the
mutual interest of both the club and the players to do so. And so much the
better if, in the process, they can help us land any of our summer targets.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AT THE START OF THE SEASON?
By Sean Whetstone 8 Mar 2014 at 09:21
West Ham Till I Die
Back in July last year I was asked to answer some questions by Colchester
United for their official programme when we played them in a pre-season
friendly.
I recently came across my answers again on my computer and was amused about
what my expectations were pre season. Feel free to share how you would of
answered these questions without the benefit of hindsight.
I have included the full article below as it appeared in the Colchester v
West ham United programme.
1) What are the Hammers fans' expectations for the coming season?
Well it's that tricky second season back in the top flight. In many ways we
would love to replicate our first season back and achieve a top 10 placing
but honestly, most old school hammers fans will say as long as we don't get
relegated we will be more than happy surviving the second season syndrome.
Our primary goal is to stabilise the club from any yo-yo characteristics
between divisions.
2) What do you make of the transfer dealings so far this summer?
The majority of West Ham fans are pleased with our marquee signing of Andy
Carroll for a reported £15.5M plus add-ons. The minority may grumble it's a
lot of money to spend on one player or point to his injury record or the
media reports of high wages breaking the wage structure. However, the vast
majority are delighted the owners have invested in the club and we are
finally showing ambition.In other signings Sam Allardyce is a shrewd
operator in getting a good bargain often on a free transfer. His signings of
Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Collins and Momo Diame on next to nothing were a
great successes at West Ham.Let's hope Adrian, Razvan Rat & Danny Whitehead
live all up to that previous success rate. Also if Ravel Morrison, Modibo
Maiga and Alou Diarra hang around past the summer they will be like new
signings for West Ham. Manchester United reject Ravel Morrison has scored 2
in 2 for the first friendlies of the season and wants to prove Sir Alex
Ferguson wrong.
3) If you were Sam Allardyce, what areas of the team would you still be
looking to strengthen?
We need a plan B upfront when Andy Carroll isn't playing now that Carlton
Cole has left the club. We know Sam is unlikely to play two up front so we
need an Andy Carroll under study to fill the lone striker role when he can't
play. There is a chance Modibo Maiga can fulfil this role. He scored
brilliance with his goal against Chelsea when we beat the then European
champions 3-1.We also need a pacey winger with many names being linked with
us in the media.
4) Which emerging West Ham talents should fans be looking out for this
season?
Many fans were disappointed when Rob Hall recently left the club for Bolton
after joining us just 9 years old, but there are plenty of talent in Tony
Carr's Academy of Football. I am going to pick out some names as the ones to
watch.Barring the obvious of Danny Potts who was loaned to Colchester United
and who broke through to the first team, my West Ham insider who used to
work for West Ham tells me these are the players to watch. Paul McCallum
appears to be another that is highly valued by West ham back room staff. He
turned down many clubs to join the hammers and has obviously scored against
Cork in our first friendly of the season. Sean Maguire, dubbed "the Irish
Messi" has looked good in academy games last season.Younger players who have
a bright future and could be future players for the West ham academy are:
• Sam Howes who is a 15 year old goalkeeper that has already played
for West Ham under 18s and England under 16s. Despite our great academy it
is very rare that top goalkeepers come along but in this case it is thought
he will make the grade.
• Matt Carter is another under 16s central midfield player who has
attracted interest from some top clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool and is
regarded to possess a great engine and skill.
• Finally, Jordan Brown who recently signed from Arsenal, despite
being offered a new contract at Arsenal he chose to come here and has scored
3 goals for the England under 16s.
5) With a host of new managers in the division, how do you think the
Premier League will shape up in 2013/14?
What an exciting premier league season ahead. For me the manager changes
makes it interesting. West Ham Hero Paolo Di Canio in charge of the Black
cats for his first full season or as long as his roller coaster manager
journey lasts. The colourful Ian Holloway & play off final magician back
with Palace, the self styled special one at Chelsea, New managers at both
Manchester football teams both trying to win the title and out do the other
one and Everton without Moyes. Add a dash of Cardiff & Hull and you have a
recipe for a fantastic season both on the pitch and the managers post match
interviews.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Birmingham 0 - QPR 2: Ravel Morrison masterclass takes all three points
Daily Express
RAVEL MORRISON showed the class that once made the likes of Sir Alex
Ferguson sing his praises with a two-goal display against the club where he
spent last season on loan. Ravel Morrison struck QPR 039 s first and second
in their comfortable 2 0 win Ravel Morrison struck QPR's first and second in
their comfortable 2-0 win. His first came after 14 minutes when he curled a
free-kick past Darren Randolph after Paul Robinson had brought down Kevin
Doyle. He made sure of the victory with a super finish after Gary O'Neil and
Jermaine Jenas had set him up for his second goal in three starts since
Harry Redknapp took him on loan from West Ham. Redknapp's assistant Kevin
Bond said: "He's one of the most talented individuals and he'd be a credit
to anybody if he can apply himself and do what he did today." Blues boss Lee
Clark said: "Ravel's the best player since Paul Gascoigne."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Saturday, March 8
Daily WHUFC News - 8th March 2014
Dev Squad 0-2 Liverpool - FT
WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute coverage of the Development Squad's match against Liverpool
at Rush Green
07.03.2014
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v SOUTHAMPTON
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2014
REFEREE: MICHAEL GEORGE
KICK-OFF: 7PM
Full-time: It's all over here at Rush Green as Mr George blows the whistle
for the last time. A fortuitous goal on the stroke of half-time set
Liverpool on their way after they were lucky not to find themselves behind.
Lee struck a post and Cullen went close in the first half but the Hammers
couldn't find a way through. In the second half, a lovely move from the
visitors provided their second of the night as Dunn finished off a flowing
move. The Hammers gave their all but couldn't break through a solid
Liverpool backline. Full-time from Rush Green, West Ham 0-2 Liverpool.
90 mins: Sadlier whips a corner in and a scramble ensues before Potts turns
the ball over the bar, possibly the last chance that will fall the Hammers'
way tonight.
89 mins: Peterson is ambitious as he drives the ball on target from miles
out. Spiegel is equal to it and hoofs the ball upfield.
87 mins: Liverpool have the ball in the net again as Peterson tucks in the
rebound from Dunn's long-range effort, but the offside flag is up.
86 mins: Cullen wins a corner after his shot is deflected wide. Lee gets his
head to the resulting set piece but Mersin is able to gather.
85 mins: Nasha again involved as he rolls the ball across for Turgott to
shoot from range. He strikes one low bit it's never on target and doesn't
trouble the keeper.
84 mins: Nasha does brilliantly as he beats two players before teeing up
Sadlier for the cross. The winger puts the ball across the front of goal but
it evades everyone and goes out of play.
82 mins: Liverpool are now looking to time waste with the ball in the
corner. Sadlier however seems eager to not let any second slip by as he
steams in to break up the play.
80 mins: The Hammers have to go for it now as we tick into the final ten
minutes at Rush Green. Brown and Lee are now up top as they look to apply
the pressure.
79 mins: Double change for the home side as Brown and Nasha sprint onto
replace Whitehead and Fanimo.
77 mins Goal: Dunn surely settles it with the visitors' second. A lovely
move which was started by Lucas saw Lussey slide a through ball for
Brannagan who squared the ball first time for Dunn who placed the ball past
Spiegel.
75 mins: Turgott wins a corner as Texeira slides in to block the winger's
cross. Sadlier whips it in but Lucas is there to meet it and nods clear.
73 mins: Peterson nearly doubles the visitors' lead as he weaves inside the
Hammers box and drags his shot just wide of Spiegel's far post.
71 mins: Sakho's down again as he blocks Turgott's cross and concedes a
corner. He is taken off this time and replaced by Paez. Meanwhile, Sadlier's
corner drifts over everyone and out for a throw-in.
69 mins: The Hammers need to find the same attacking threat which proved
effective in the first half as they've created little in the second.
67 mins: Turgott steams into a tackle with Texeira but escapes a caution,
meaning we're still yet to see a card produced by Mr George tonight.
65 mins: Nick Haycock makes his first change as he replaces Lletget with
Sadlier. The midfielder seemed to limp off indicating the necessity for
change.
64 mins: Fanimo gets in behind the defence thanks to Lletget's through ball
but blazes his shot miles wide of the target.
62 mins: Sakho takes a tumble under a challenge from Lletgte and he stays
down. There are worried looks on the away bench but as yet no substitution.
60 mins: Liverpool are controlling possession now and are quite happy to
keep the ball amongst their back four with Lucas occasionally getting
involved. They finally go forward only for Smith to send a wild cross over
the bar.
58 mins: Lee has been pretty isolated at the start of this half with the
home side yet to apply the same pressure which forced Liverpool into
mistakes in the first.
56 mins: A lovely passing move, in which the Hammers worked the ball from
left to right and back again, comes to an end with Turgott's cross which is
easy for Mersin to collect.
54 mins: Knoyle is under pressure as he deliver a cross from the right
byline. Mersin gathers easily as the ball floats in his direction.
52 mins: Page and Lee work a quick one-two to set the full-back in behind
the defence. He crosses first time from the left-hand side and finds Lee who
shoots wide as he stretches for the ball.
50 mins: Peterson bursts into the box to get his head to Smith's cross from
the left. He gets up ahead of Potts but his header is straight at Spiegel.
48 mins: The Hammers pen Liverpool into their own half early in the second
period as they look to continue the domination they enjoyed in the first
half.
46 mins: West Ham kick us off for the second period trailing to a scrappy
goal right at the end of the first half.
Half-time: A cruel blow right on the stroke of half-time is all that sees
the Hammers behind. The hosts have been superior all over the park so far
and have had numerous opportunities to take the lead. The Hammers best
chance came when Lee saw his acrobatic effort strike the post, while
Whitehead and Cullen have also come close. Really harsh on the home side
who've looked comfortable holding Liverpool at arms length. Half-time at
Rush Green, West Ham 0-1 Liverpool.
45 mins Goal: Spiegel will not want to see this one again. Nice football
from the visitors sees them string together countless passes before
Peterson's shot is defelected off Dunn and spins past Spiegel who looked to
have it covered.
43 mins: The effort and application has been first class from the Hammers in
this first half and they can count themselves unfortunate not to be ahead.
41 mins: As we approach half-time the Hammers come close to opening the
scoring once more. Cullen eventually takes the shot after great work from
Lletget. He tries to place the ball into the corner but his effort is
comfortable for Mersin.
39 mins: Peterson sees an effort go out for a corner after he found space on
the edge of the box. Chambers is up at the back post this time to head
clear.
37 mins: Great defending by Turgott who tracks Smith all the way back and
blocks the cross. The resulting corner is whipped into the area where
Lletget meets it and Lee sprints clear.
35 mins: Turgott takes but the ball is cleared at the near post by Peterson.
34 mins: Sakho lunges in on Turgott as he just about touches the ball as it
goes out for a corner. Fanimo takes, again to the back stick before Smith
puts it out for another corner.
32 mins: Lussey calls Spiegel into action with an effort from the edge of
the box but Spiegel deals with it easily enough.
30 mins: Post! Whitehead's free-kick is flicked on by Potts to Lee, who
collects on his chest before flicking the ball goalwards only to see his
effort hit the post! What a great chance!
29 mins: Fanimo curls it to the back post where Turgott can't direct his
effort on target and it goes out for a throw.
28 mins: Whitehead does brilliantly in the middle of the park. He skips away
from one before sliding a pass for Knoyle to run onto. The right-back's
cross is turned out for a corner.
26 mins: Sakho launches an aerial ball forward looking for Dunn, Chambers is
there, however, to intercept and nod the ball back to Spiegel.
24 mins: Sakho brings a smile and a chuckle from the watching Tony Adams as
he pulls out a flick to clear the ball from his penalty area. Luckily for
Sakho it falls to a teammate and they keep possession.
22 mins: Lee runs into space in front of the back four before he decides to
shoot from distance. His effort is hard and low but doesn't have the
accuracy to trouble the keepers goal.
20 mins: Awful decision from the officials as Fanimo looks to break down the
left. He's slide tackled and the ball clearly comes off Williams before the
referee signals a Liverpool throw-in.
18 mins: Smith breaks away down the left after Liverpool benefit from a
lucky deflection off Lletget. He feeds Dunn into the left-hand channel
before the striker shoots wide from an acute angle.
16 mins: Page now goes haring into a challenge after he over runs the ball.
He's late but contact is minimal and he gets away without a card.
14 mins: The Reds have a free-kick just outside the area on the left-hand
side. Texeira takes and Potts heads straight to Peterson whose shot is well
blocked by the despairing Page.
12 mins: A good spell of possession from the away side ends as Lucas tries
to put Smith in over the top but misplaces his lofted pass.
10 mins: Lucas has his first few touches as he looks to settle the visitors
into a rhythm. The Brazilian is making his first appearance since an ankle
injury which has ruled him out for most of the season.
8 mins: Whitehead tries to repeat his spectacular strike against
Southampton, as he throws a beautiful dummy before striking the ball just
wide with the outside of his foot. Very positive play so far.
6 mins: What a lively start it's been from the Hammers who look really up
for this. Remember, a win tonight would be their third in a row.
4 mins: What a save! Lletget sets Fanimo away down the left and he drives
into the box before pulling the ball back for the on-rushing Lee. The
striker hits a powerful effort on target but Mersin produces a great diving
stop to deny him. From the rebound, Lletget volleys just wide.
3 mins: The corner is whipped and Chambers makes a good block from the
rebound before the ball is cleared.
2 mins: Chambers loses possession on the halfway line and Smith sprints away
down the left. He attempts a cross but Potts deflects it out for a corner.
Kick-off: Liverpool get us going at Rush Green. Come on you Irons!
6:59pm: The teams are out and undertake the pre-match handshakes.
6:52pm: Tony Adams is in the stands tonight, right in front of me infact. He
will no doubt be hoping that some of tonight's players do enough to catch
his eye.
6:41pm: The tunes are blaring out at Rush Green as we head towards kick-off.
A healthy crowd has come to see a strong Liverpool side take on the in-form
Hammers.
6:26pm: A Liverpool team containing Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho have begun
their pre-match preparations and are joined by the Hammers.
6:15pm: The keepers are out to commence their warm-ups as the crowd starts
to drift in at Rush Green.
6pm: Coverage has begun at Rush Green on a beautiful clear evening. It's a
stark contrast to three weeks ago when the rain was pouring and the wind was
swirling for the Hammers 1-0 success here against Southampton. We hope the
better conditions will see better football tonight.
It's Friday night and the feelings right…oh yes, it's Development Squad
night! The young Hammers go in pursuit of their third consecutive win in the
Barclays Under-21 Premier League tonight when they welcome Liverpool to Rush
Green. Back-to-back wins against Southampton and Reading has put the spring
back in the Under-21s step following a disappointing start to 2014. A wonder
goal from Elliot Lee and a clinical strike from Blair Turgott earned the
Hammers a 2-1 win against the Royals last time out, and propelled Nick
Haycock's side to fifth place in the division.
Tonight's visitors Liverpool arrive having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Reading
on Monday, their only defeat in four matches following a run of three
straight wins which took them to second place in the table. The Reds line-up
also includes the returning Lucas Leiva who steps up his comeback from a
knee injury at Rush Green. The visitors also have Mamadou Sakho amongst
their ranks, with the defender set to play some part in the match. West
Ham's starting line-up is unchanged from their win over Reading last time
out, with Raphael Spiegel and Kyle Knoyle returning from international duty
to start and Reeec Burke taking his place amongst the substitutes.
West Ham United: Spiegel, Knoyle, Potts, Chambers, Page, Whitehead, Cullen,
Lletget, Fanimo, Turgott, Lee
Subs: Burke, Nemrava (GK), Sadlier, Nasha, Brown
Liverpool: Mersin, Williams, Smith, Jones, Sakho, Leiva, Peterson, Lussey,
Dunn, Brannagan, Texeira
Subs: Paez, Firth, Maguire, Rossiter, Bijev
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
James Collins blogs for whufc.com on Wales, the Hammers' defensive form and
more
07.03.2014
Hi everyone,
I've been away with Wales in the early part of this week, and it was nice to
gain a positive result by defeating iceland 3-1 in our friendly at the
Cardiff City Stadium. It was an important game as we build towards
qualification for Euro 2016 and I was happy to score my second goal for my
country, heading our opener in the first half. I hope that this can be the
time Wales qualify for a major tournament. If we can keep a fully-fit squad
and a first eleven out there every game, we should have a good chance. We
played Belgium in the qualifying campaign just gone and they are a world
class team. People are tipping them to go quite far in the World Cup, so
that is going to be a tough game. But we drew 1-1 there in the last game of
World Cup qualifying and gave them a hell of a game, so we know we can
perform against them. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are obviously world class
players, and the boys playing for Swansea are having the experience of
playing in Europe, which will be a massive help for us. They're playing
against a different style of opposition, which will be good for the first
team. It's a very exciting time, especially for an old man like me! I have
been one of the older heads in the squad for a couple of years now, which
speaks volumes for the standard of players that we're producing. You can see
that with Gareth and Aaron Ramsey, so it's an exciting time and I want to
try and hang onto it as long as I can.
As for West Ham, our defensive form has been fantastic recently. We did have
a lot of injuries in key areas earlier in the season, Winston was out and
Big Andy was out too. We don't like to use that as an excuse, but it did
affect us a little bit. We knew that when we had everyone back fit and
competing for places our results would pick up, and to get four wins on the
bounce has picked our season up massively. It's going well, there's the odd
game when we've conceded three or four, which is going to happen with the
quality of centre forwards in the Premier League but we're defending well
and the goalkeeper behind us has been on fire in the last couple of weeks as
well. We've got 13 clean sheets at the moment and hopefully we can get many
more before the end of the season - starting with Stoke a week on Saturday.
Come on you Irons
Ginge
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Potts ready for rival clash
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts is looking forward to a London derby against Arsenal this
Saturday
07.03.2014
Steve Potts is looking forward to seeing a healthy rivalry when he takes his
Academy side to play Arsenal in the Barclays Under-18 Premier League on
Saturday. The Hammers are targeting a sixth consecutive win against the
Gunners, following a five match winning streak which has seen them score
eleven times and concede just once. Potts' team are currently the occupants
of second place in the division, level on points with leaders Fulham, and
the 46-year-old is hoping for three more points against their north London
rivals. He told West Ham TV: "It's a very good challenge for us. You know
how a game against Arsenal's going to go. They try and play their football
and they'll be looking to beat us. "There's a bit of rivalry between the two
groups I would say, and at Youth Team level and below, I think the two teams
are always looking to outdo each o ther. "Hopefully we can get on with our
game and play how we have been doing."
The U18s' excellent form has not only been restricted to their last five
games, with the team having tasted defeat only once in ten league matches,
with an incredible nine wins in that sequence. Defeat to Southampton, a
narrow 2-1 loss, is the only blip since going down to Sunderland way back in
September 2013 and Potts admits to being delighted with the consistent level
of performance shown by his players. "The boys have done well lately and put
in some good performances. They came back after Christmas, went down to
Southampton and I thought we were a bit unfortunate down there and the
result went the wrong way for us. Since then, we've done ok. "I think it's
key. There are some talented boys in the group but I think consistency is
the one thing you're looking for, without that it's going to be a struggle.
"At this age and especially at a senior level, everyone's looking to know
what they're going to get out of each player each week. I think the boys
have done that well so far and I hope that carries on."
Last time out goals from striker Jordan Brown and winger Djair
Parfitt-Williams inspired the young Hammers to a 2-0 victory against their
nearest competitors Fulham. Potts felt his side deserved the three points
against the Cottagers and has now set his sights firmly on taking the same
return from Saturday's clash.
"It's been a good test for us this year. I said to the boys at the start of
the year it will be a tough test all round. "You're going to get a mixture
of games and you're going to have to play quite a few northern teams as
well, which mixes it up quite well. We went to Fulham and gave a good
account of ourselves and came out with a good result. "I think it's going to
be a tough game (Arsenal), whatever team they put out. That's the thing with
this division, you never quite know what team they're going to put out.
They're doing well in the FA Youth Cup, so they can be strong and I'm sure
we'll see that on Saturday."
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TC honoured
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 7th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Tony Carr has been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award as
recognition of his services to West Ham United. The Academy Director has led
the club's youth programme since 1973 and was honoured at a special London
Football Legends bash held in the City last night. he event, a fund-raising
evening for the Willow Foundation, was held in London and compered by TV's
Alan Davies. More than 20 London legends, including former Hammers Sir
Geoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking, attended the awards and took part in a
Q&A session hosted by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson. The remaining
award winners on the night were as follows:
Outstanding Contribution to a London Club - Pat Rice (Arsenal)
London Player of the Year 2013/14: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
Bert Trautman Award: Pat Jennings (Tottenham)
Retired Club Legend: Ledley King (Tottenham)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Roy Hodgson (England)
The most bizarre nomination of the evening went to Harry Redknapp, who was
one of six nominees in the 'Contribution to a London club' category for his
services to West Ham United. Other Hammers nominees to go home empty handed
were Jussi Jaaskelainen (2013/14 Player of the Year) and Mervyn Day (Bert
Trautman Award).
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GOOD INTENTIONS, BUT WILL THERE BE FOLLOW THROUGH?
By S J Chandos 7 Mar 2014 at 08:30
West Ham Till I Die
It was interesting to read a summary of the recent Claret and Hugh interview
with David Gold. In it, Gold acknowledged that the club's summer transfer
strategy will likely aim to bring more indepth quality to the squad. He also
emphasised the importance of increased competition for starting places in
promoting improved iindividual and team performance. There is nothing to
disagree with there, in fact, they are the self same points that I have made
in my blog posts in recent weeks. However, as welcome as those these good
intentions are, it is not unreasonable to ask will the club 'walk the walk,
as well as talk the talk' this time?
Personally, I do not envy the current board's task of juggling debt
reduction with the imperative of building the squad. But it is their
responsibility to do so and we are perfectly justified, as supporters, to
express our opinion on what the priorities should be. The Claret and Hugh
interview did not reveal a monetary figure for the 2014-15 transfer budget,
but Hugh opined that it was likely be in the region of £20-25m. Arguably,
there should be a concerted push to improve the squad next season and that
will probably take something in the region of £30m to make a significant
impact. Is that possible in the current financial circumstances? One would
hope that it would be possible to invest more in the squad this season and
re-adjust to books in the following season 2015-16. And of course, there is
always the forthcoming proceeds from the sale of Upton Park, which will make
a major contribution to reducing the debt to manageable proportions,
Now is the time to gamble and push on next season (assuming that we will be
safe at the end of this campaign) to try to establish ourselves in the top
eight of the PL. In doing so, the club should beware of the potential 'pit
fall' of Europa League qualification. The experience of other clubs tells us
that competition is intensive and draining upon the playing resources of PL
squads. In an ideal scenerio, it would be much preferable to achieve a
'great leap forward,' assault on the top four and qualify for the Champions
League! But needless to say, that is far easier said than done. The more
realistic proposition is that an improved West Ham squad may be able to
qualify for the less glamorous of the two European competitions. Inevitably,
the squad needs more quality not only to qualify for Europe, but also to
progress in the Europa League and remain competitive domestically.
Another point made by David Gold, that I have also made previously, is the
need to nurture ambitions above and beyond the 'baseline line' of PL
survival. This means not only pushing on in the league, but achieving
progress in the domestic cup competitions. We must start taking those cup
opportunities much more seriously, not only because it remains the most
realistic pathway to honours, but because the Hammers faithful expect it.
Cup runs, thrills and spills are an integral part of the club's traditions
and some of the best memories arise from the domestic cup competitions. It
is one of a number of club traditions that need to be resucitated as a
matter of urgency; along with keeping possession and passing the ball far
better than we have this season. I thought that the team passed the ball
well on occasions last season, especially at Upton Park. But our % of
possession in matches, this season, have been too low and in away games, we
have have often not been an effective attacking force. This needs to be
addressed.
Sam Allardyce has undoubtedly brought some positives to the club. He has
transformed us defensively, made us more organised and far harder to beat.
He has also fostered a good and positive team spirit, where the players 'dig
in' and fight for each other. Those factors need to be acknowledged, but in
doing so, the board also need to raise the bar of expectation next season.
It needs to be made clear that these achievements need to be accompanied by
improved attacking play and a genuine assault in the cup competitions. They
should provide an increased transfer budget and challenge management to
confound the critics and show that the regime can progress beyond a solid
baseline of delivering PL survival through defensive solidarity, keeping
clean sheets and nicking as many wins as possible!
SJ. Chandos.
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WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute coverage of the Development Squad's match against Liverpool
at Rush Green
07.03.2014
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v SOUTHAMPTON
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
FRIDAY 7 MARCH 2014
REFEREE: MICHAEL GEORGE
KICK-OFF: 7PM
Full-time: It's all over here at Rush Green as Mr George blows the whistle
for the last time. A fortuitous goal on the stroke of half-time set
Liverpool on their way after they were lucky not to find themselves behind.
Lee struck a post and Cullen went close in the first half but the Hammers
couldn't find a way through. In the second half, a lovely move from the
visitors provided their second of the night as Dunn finished off a flowing
move. The Hammers gave their all but couldn't break through a solid
Liverpool backline. Full-time from Rush Green, West Ham 0-2 Liverpool.
90 mins: Sadlier whips a corner in and a scramble ensues before Potts turns
the ball over the bar, possibly the last chance that will fall the Hammers'
way tonight.
89 mins: Peterson is ambitious as he drives the ball on target from miles
out. Spiegel is equal to it and hoofs the ball upfield.
87 mins: Liverpool have the ball in the net again as Peterson tucks in the
rebound from Dunn's long-range effort, but the offside flag is up.
86 mins: Cullen wins a corner after his shot is deflected wide. Lee gets his
head to the resulting set piece but Mersin is able to gather.
85 mins: Nasha again involved as he rolls the ball across for Turgott to
shoot from range. He strikes one low bit it's never on target and doesn't
trouble the keeper.
84 mins: Nasha does brilliantly as he beats two players before teeing up
Sadlier for the cross. The winger puts the ball across the front of goal but
it evades everyone and goes out of play.
82 mins: Liverpool are now looking to time waste with the ball in the
corner. Sadlier however seems eager to not let any second slip by as he
steams in to break up the play.
80 mins: The Hammers have to go for it now as we tick into the final ten
minutes at Rush Green. Brown and Lee are now up top as they look to apply
the pressure.
79 mins: Double change for the home side as Brown and Nasha sprint onto
replace Whitehead and Fanimo.
77 mins Goal: Dunn surely settles it with the visitors' second. A lovely
move which was started by Lucas saw Lussey slide a through ball for
Brannagan who squared the ball first time for Dunn who placed the ball past
Spiegel.
75 mins: Turgott wins a corner as Texeira slides in to block the winger's
cross. Sadlier whips it in but Lucas is there to meet it and nods clear.
73 mins: Peterson nearly doubles the visitors' lead as he weaves inside the
Hammers box and drags his shot just wide of Spiegel's far post.
71 mins: Sakho's down again as he blocks Turgott's cross and concedes a
corner. He is taken off this time and replaced by Paez. Meanwhile, Sadlier's
corner drifts over everyone and out for a throw-in.
69 mins: The Hammers need to find the same attacking threat which proved
effective in the first half as they've created little in the second.
67 mins: Turgott steams into a tackle with Texeira but escapes a caution,
meaning we're still yet to see a card produced by Mr George tonight.
65 mins: Nick Haycock makes his first change as he replaces Lletget with
Sadlier. The midfielder seemed to limp off indicating the necessity for
change.
64 mins: Fanimo gets in behind the defence thanks to Lletget's through ball
but blazes his shot miles wide of the target.
62 mins: Sakho takes a tumble under a challenge from Lletgte and he stays
down. There are worried looks on the away bench but as yet no substitution.
60 mins: Liverpool are controlling possession now and are quite happy to
keep the ball amongst their back four with Lucas occasionally getting
involved. They finally go forward only for Smith to send a wild cross over
the bar.
58 mins: Lee has been pretty isolated at the start of this half with the
home side yet to apply the same pressure which forced Liverpool into
mistakes in the first.
56 mins: A lovely passing move, in which the Hammers worked the ball from
left to right and back again, comes to an end with Turgott's cross which is
easy for Mersin to collect.
54 mins: Knoyle is under pressure as he deliver a cross from the right
byline. Mersin gathers easily as the ball floats in his direction.
52 mins: Page and Lee work a quick one-two to set the full-back in behind
the defence. He crosses first time from the left-hand side and finds Lee who
shoots wide as he stretches for the ball.
50 mins: Peterson bursts into the box to get his head to Smith's cross from
the left. He gets up ahead of Potts but his header is straight at Spiegel.
48 mins: The Hammers pen Liverpool into their own half early in the second
period as they look to continue the domination they enjoyed in the first
half.
46 mins: West Ham kick us off for the second period trailing to a scrappy
goal right at the end of the first half.
Half-time: A cruel blow right on the stroke of half-time is all that sees
the Hammers behind. The hosts have been superior all over the park so far
and have had numerous opportunities to take the lead. The Hammers best
chance came when Lee saw his acrobatic effort strike the post, while
Whitehead and Cullen have also come close. Really harsh on the home side
who've looked comfortable holding Liverpool at arms length. Half-time at
Rush Green, West Ham 0-1 Liverpool.
45 mins Goal: Spiegel will not want to see this one again. Nice football
from the visitors sees them string together countless passes before
Peterson's shot is defelected off Dunn and spins past Spiegel who looked to
have it covered.
43 mins: The effort and application has been first class from the Hammers in
this first half and they can count themselves unfortunate not to be ahead.
41 mins: As we approach half-time the Hammers come close to opening the
scoring once more. Cullen eventually takes the shot after great work from
Lletget. He tries to place the ball into the corner but his effort is
comfortable for Mersin.
39 mins: Peterson sees an effort go out for a corner after he found space on
the edge of the box. Chambers is up at the back post this time to head
clear.
37 mins: Great defending by Turgott who tracks Smith all the way back and
blocks the cross. The resulting corner is whipped into the area where
Lletget meets it and Lee sprints clear.
35 mins: Turgott takes but the ball is cleared at the near post by Peterson.
34 mins: Sakho lunges in on Turgott as he just about touches the ball as it
goes out for a corner. Fanimo takes, again to the back stick before Smith
puts it out for another corner.
32 mins: Lussey calls Spiegel into action with an effort from the edge of
the box but Spiegel deals with it easily enough.
30 mins: Post! Whitehead's free-kick is flicked on by Potts to Lee, who
collects on his chest before flicking the ball goalwards only to see his
effort hit the post! What a great chance!
29 mins: Fanimo curls it to the back post where Turgott can't direct his
effort on target and it goes out for a throw.
28 mins: Whitehead does brilliantly in the middle of the park. He skips away
from one before sliding a pass for Knoyle to run onto. The right-back's
cross is turned out for a corner.
26 mins: Sakho launches an aerial ball forward looking for Dunn, Chambers is
there, however, to intercept and nod the ball back to Spiegel.
24 mins: Sakho brings a smile and a chuckle from the watching Tony Adams as
he pulls out a flick to clear the ball from his penalty area. Luckily for
Sakho it falls to a teammate and they keep possession.
22 mins: Lee runs into space in front of the back four before he decides to
shoot from distance. His effort is hard and low but doesn't have the
accuracy to trouble the keepers goal.
20 mins: Awful decision from the officials as Fanimo looks to break down the
left. He's slide tackled and the ball clearly comes off Williams before the
referee signals a Liverpool throw-in.
18 mins: Smith breaks away down the left after Liverpool benefit from a
lucky deflection off Lletget. He feeds Dunn into the left-hand channel
before the striker shoots wide from an acute angle.
16 mins: Page now goes haring into a challenge after he over runs the ball.
He's late but contact is minimal and he gets away without a card.
14 mins: The Reds have a free-kick just outside the area on the left-hand
side. Texeira takes and Potts heads straight to Peterson whose shot is well
blocked by the despairing Page.
12 mins: A good spell of possession from the away side ends as Lucas tries
to put Smith in over the top but misplaces his lofted pass.
10 mins: Lucas has his first few touches as he looks to settle the visitors
into a rhythm. The Brazilian is making his first appearance since an ankle
injury which has ruled him out for most of the season.
8 mins: Whitehead tries to repeat his spectacular strike against
Southampton, as he throws a beautiful dummy before striking the ball just
wide with the outside of his foot. Very positive play so far.
6 mins: What a lively start it's been from the Hammers who look really up
for this. Remember, a win tonight would be their third in a row.
4 mins: What a save! Lletget sets Fanimo away down the left and he drives
into the box before pulling the ball back for the on-rushing Lee. The
striker hits a powerful effort on target but Mersin produces a great diving
stop to deny him. From the rebound, Lletget volleys just wide.
3 mins: The corner is whipped and Chambers makes a good block from the
rebound before the ball is cleared.
2 mins: Chambers loses possession on the halfway line and Smith sprints away
down the left. He attempts a cross but Potts deflects it out for a corner.
Kick-off: Liverpool get us going at Rush Green. Come on you Irons!
6:59pm: The teams are out and undertake the pre-match handshakes.
6:52pm: Tony Adams is in the stands tonight, right in front of me infact. He
will no doubt be hoping that some of tonight's players do enough to catch
his eye.
6:41pm: The tunes are blaring out at Rush Green as we head towards kick-off.
A healthy crowd has come to see a strong Liverpool side take on the in-form
Hammers.
6:26pm: A Liverpool team containing Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho have begun
their pre-match preparations and are joined by the Hammers.
6:15pm: The keepers are out to commence their warm-ups as the crowd starts
to drift in at Rush Green.
6pm: Coverage has begun at Rush Green on a beautiful clear evening. It's a
stark contrast to three weeks ago when the rain was pouring and the wind was
swirling for the Hammers 1-0 success here against Southampton. We hope the
better conditions will see better football tonight.
It's Friday night and the feelings right…oh yes, it's Development Squad
night! The young Hammers go in pursuit of their third consecutive win in the
Barclays Under-21 Premier League tonight when they welcome Liverpool to Rush
Green. Back-to-back wins against Southampton and Reading has put the spring
back in the Under-21s step following a disappointing start to 2014. A wonder
goal from Elliot Lee and a clinical strike from Blair Turgott earned the
Hammers a 2-1 win against the Royals last time out, and propelled Nick
Haycock's side to fifth place in the division.
Tonight's visitors Liverpool arrive having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Reading
on Monday, their only defeat in four matches following a run of three
straight wins which took them to second place in the table. The Reds line-up
also includes the returning Lucas Leiva who steps up his comeback from a
knee injury at Rush Green. The visitors also have Mamadou Sakho amongst
their ranks, with the defender set to play some part in the match. West
Ham's starting line-up is unchanged from their win over Reading last time
out, with Raphael Spiegel and Kyle Knoyle returning from international duty
to start and Reeec Burke taking his place amongst the substitutes.
West Ham United: Spiegel, Knoyle, Potts, Chambers, Page, Whitehead, Cullen,
Lletget, Fanimo, Turgott, Lee
Subs: Burke, Nemrava (GK), Sadlier, Nasha, Brown
Liverpool: Mersin, Williams, Smith, Jones, Sakho, Leiva, Peterson, Lussey,
Dunn, Brannagan, Texeira
Subs: Paez, Firth, Maguire, Rossiter, Bijev
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
James Collins blogs for whufc.com on Wales, the Hammers' defensive form and
more
07.03.2014
Hi everyone,
I've been away with Wales in the early part of this week, and it was nice to
gain a positive result by defeating iceland 3-1 in our friendly at the
Cardiff City Stadium. It was an important game as we build towards
qualification for Euro 2016 and I was happy to score my second goal for my
country, heading our opener in the first half. I hope that this can be the
time Wales qualify for a major tournament. If we can keep a fully-fit squad
and a first eleven out there every game, we should have a good chance. We
played Belgium in the qualifying campaign just gone and they are a world
class team. People are tipping them to go quite far in the World Cup, so
that is going to be a tough game. But we drew 1-1 there in the last game of
World Cup qualifying and gave them a hell of a game, so we know we can
perform against them. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are obviously world class
players, and the boys playing for Swansea are having the experience of
playing in Europe, which will be a massive help for us. They're playing
against a different style of opposition, which will be good for the first
team. It's a very exciting time, especially for an old man like me! I have
been one of the older heads in the squad for a couple of years now, which
speaks volumes for the standard of players that we're producing. You can see
that with Gareth and Aaron Ramsey, so it's an exciting time and I want to
try and hang onto it as long as I can.
As for West Ham, our defensive form has been fantastic recently. We did have
a lot of injuries in key areas earlier in the season, Winston was out and
Big Andy was out too. We don't like to use that as an excuse, but it did
affect us a little bit. We knew that when we had everyone back fit and
competing for places our results would pick up, and to get four wins on the
bounce has picked our season up massively. It's going well, there's the odd
game when we've conceded three or four, which is going to happen with the
quality of centre forwards in the Premier League but we're defending well
and the goalkeeper behind us has been on fire in the last couple of weeks as
well. We've got 13 clean sheets at the moment and hopefully we can get many
more before the end of the season - starting with Stoke a week on Saturday.
Come on you Irons
Ginge
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Potts ready for rival clash
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts is looking forward to a London derby against Arsenal this
Saturday
07.03.2014
Steve Potts is looking forward to seeing a healthy rivalry when he takes his
Academy side to play Arsenal in the Barclays Under-18 Premier League on
Saturday. The Hammers are targeting a sixth consecutive win against the
Gunners, following a five match winning streak which has seen them score
eleven times and concede just once. Potts' team are currently the occupants
of second place in the division, level on points with leaders Fulham, and
the 46-year-old is hoping for three more points against their north London
rivals. He told West Ham TV: "It's a very good challenge for us. You know
how a game against Arsenal's going to go. They try and play their football
and they'll be looking to beat us. "There's a bit of rivalry between the two
groups I would say, and at Youth Team level and below, I think the two teams
are always looking to outdo each o ther. "Hopefully we can get on with our
game and play how we have been doing."
The U18s' excellent form has not only been restricted to their last five
games, with the team having tasted defeat only once in ten league matches,
with an incredible nine wins in that sequence. Defeat to Southampton, a
narrow 2-1 loss, is the only blip since going down to Sunderland way back in
September 2013 and Potts admits to being delighted with the consistent level
of performance shown by his players. "The boys have done well lately and put
in some good performances. They came back after Christmas, went down to
Southampton and I thought we were a bit unfortunate down there and the
result went the wrong way for us. Since then, we've done ok. "I think it's
key. There are some talented boys in the group but I think consistency is
the one thing you're looking for, without that it's going to be a struggle.
"At this age and especially at a senior level, everyone's looking to know
what they're going to get out of each player each week. I think the boys
have done that well so far and I hope that carries on."
Last time out goals from striker Jordan Brown and winger Djair
Parfitt-Williams inspired the young Hammers to a 2-0 victory against their
nearest competitors Fulham. Potts felt his side deserved the three points
against the Cottagers and has now set his sights firmly on taking the same
return from Saturday's clash.
"It's been a good test for us this year. I said to the boys at the start of
the year it will be a tough test all round. "You're going to get a mixture
of games and you're going to have to play quite a few northern teams as
well, which mixes it up quite well. We went to Fulham and gave a good
account of ourselves and came out with a good result. "I think it's going to
be a tough game (Arsenal), whatever team they put out. That's the thing with
this division, you never quite know what team they're going to put out.
They're doing well in the FA Youth Cup, so they can be strong and I'm sure
we'll see that on Saturday."
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TC honoured
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 7th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Tony Carr has been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award as
recognition of his services to West Ham United. The Academy Director has led
the club's youth programme since 1973 and was honoured at a special London
Football Legends bash held in the City last night. he event, a fund-raising
evening for the Willow Foundation, was held in London and compered by TV's
Alan Davies. More than 20 London legends, including former Hammers Sir
Geoff Hurst and Sir Trevor Brooking, attended the awards and took part in a
Q&A session hosted by former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson. The remaining
award winners on the night were as follows:
Outstanding Contribution to a London Club - Pat Rice (Arsenal)
London Player of the Year 2013/14: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
Bert Trautman Award: Pat Jennings (Tottenham)
Retired Club Legend: Ledley King (Tottenham)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Roy Hodgson (England)
The most bizarre nomination of the evening went to Harry Redknapp, who was
one of six nominees in the 'Contribution to a London club' category for his
services to West Ham United. Other Hammers nominees to go home empty handed
were Jussi Jaaskelainen (2013/14 Player of the Year) and Mervyn Day (Bert
Trautman Award).
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GOOD INTENTIONS, BUT WILL THERE BE FOLLOW THROUGH?
By S J Chandos 7 Mar 2014 at 08:30
West Ham Till I Die
It was interesting to read a summary of the recent Claret and Hugh interview
with David Gold. In it, Gold acknowledged that the club's summer transfer
strategy will likely aim to bring more indepth quality to the squad. He also
emphasised the importance of increased competition for starting places in
promoting improved iindividual and team performance. There is nothing to
disagree with there, in fact, they are the self same points that I have made
in my blog posts in recent weeks. However, as welcome as those these good
intentions are, it is not unreasonable to ask will the club 'walk the walk,
as well as talk the talk' this time?
Personally, I do not envy the current board's task of juggling debt
reduction with the imperative of building the squad. But it is their
responsibility to do so and we are perfectly justified, as supporters, to
express our opinion on what the priorities should be. The Claret and Hugh
interview did not reveal a monetary figure for the 2014-15 transfer budget,
but Hugh opined that it was likely be in the region of £20-25m. Arguably,
there should be a concerted push to improve the squad next season and that
will probably take something in the region of £30m to make a significant
impact. Is that possible in the current financial circumstances? One would
hope that it would be possible to invest more in the squad this season and
re-adjust to books in the following season 2015-16. And of course, there is
always the forthcoming proceeds from the sale of Upton Park, which will make
a major contribution to reducing the debt to manageable proportions,
Now is the time to gamble and push on next season (assuming that we will be
safe at the end of this campaign) to try to establish ourselves in the top
eight of the PL. In doing so, the club should beware of the potential 'pit
fall' of Europa League qualification. The experience of other clubs tells us
that competition is intensive and draining upon the playing resources of PL
squads. In an ideal scenerio, it would be much preferable to achieve a
'great leap forward,' assault on the top four and qualify for the Champions
League! But needless to say, that is far easier said than done. The more
realistic proposition is that an improved West Ham squad may be able to
qualify for the less glamorous of the two European competitions. Inevitably,
the squad needs more quality not only to qualify for Europe, but also to
progress in the Europa League and remain competitive domestically.
Another point made by David Gold, that I have also made previously, is the
need to nurture ambitions above and beyond the 'baseline line' of PL
survival. This means not only pushing on in the league, but achieving
progress in the domestic cup competitions. We must start taking those cup
opportunities much more seriously, not only because it remains the most
realistic pathway to honours, but because the Hammers faithful expect it.
Cup runs, thrills and spills are an integral part of the club's traditions
and some of the best memories arise from the domestic cup competitions. It
is one of a number of club traditions that need to be resucitated as a
matter of urgency; along with keeping possession and passing the ball far
better than we have this season. I thought that the team passed the ball
well on occasions last season, especially at Upton Park. But our % of
possession in matches, this season, have been too low and in away games, we
have have often not been an effective attacking force. This needs to be
addressed.
Sam Allardyce has undoubtedly brought some positives to the club. He has
transformed us defensively, made us more organised and far harder to beat.
He has also fostered a good and positive team spirit, where the players 'dig
in' and fight for each other. Those factors need to be acknowledged, but in
doing so, the board also need to raise the bar of expectation next season.
It needs to be made clear that these achievements need to be accompanied by
improved attacking play and a genuine assault in the cup competitions. They
should provide an increased transfer budget and challenge management to
confound the critics and show that the regime can progress beyond a solid
baseline of delivering PL survival through defensive solidarity, keeping
clean sheets and nicking as many wins as possible!
SJ. Chandos.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Friday, March 7
Daily WHUFC News - 7th March 2014
Hammers meet Stadium apprentices
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins and George McCartney visited the Stadium to celebrate National
Apprenticeship Week
06.03.2014
With National Apprenticeship Week in full swing, West Ham United duo James
Tomkins and George McCartney visited the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park to pay a personal thanks to the apprentices helping to convert their
future home. West Ham United, the London Legacy Development Corporation and
Newham Council continue to work closely on ensuring there is an enduring
Olympic legacy for east London and are delighted that hard-working, local
youngsters are benefitting from the arena's conversion into a UEFA Category
4 Footbal Stadium. The first two of many Imtech apprentices began work in
January 2014 and are due to see the high-profile project through to its
completion, when the Hammers take up occupancy in summer 2016. In line with
Imtech's extensive engineering expertise, 18-year-old George Skuce and
20-year-old Mohamed Mohamed will concentrate on wiring and pipework,
latterly setting their sights on field-of-play lighting and scoring systems.
For the time being, however, it is all systems go on a state-of-the-art home
dressing room, with the apprentices clearing the way for the new and
elaborate fit-out.
The Hammers' matchday facility will rival, if not exceed that of any other
Premier League club. The spacious main dressing room area is to be
configured in a horseshoe shape, with players able to use massage and
activation equipment rooms without leaving the changing room. The squad will
also have access to the Stadium's indoor running track to enhance their
pre-match activity. Hot and cold plunge recovery pools, an in-house medical
room and a designated analysis space are all to feature, plans befitting a
world-class football venue.
Olympic Stadium apprentices
Tomkins and McCartney present the apprentices with Hammers shirts
Skuce has an added incentive to ensure his work of the highest standard as,
like many east Londoners, he is a lifelong Hammers fan. The teenager, who
hails from Canning Town, studied electrical engineering at college and is in
little doubt that his decision to undertake an apprenticeship was the right
one.
"The West Ham link was everything to me, knowing that I was coming to a
company that was transforming the Stadium for my home Club," he confirmed.
"I've been brought up with West Ham, supporting them from day one, so to be
here with an electrical company as well, which is what I'd always wanted to
do, is pretty amazing.
"University just wasn't for me. It didn't appeal and as an apprentice I
wanted to be working while earning, so it made perfect sense really.
"I'll be over here for the majority of games and I'll be able to say, I put
that up and I've walked the players round the dressing room. It's definitely
something that I'll look back on with pride over the coming years."
To date, upward of 60 apprentices have played a part in the creation of
London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 16 of whom have already been
supported into permanent employment both on and off the Park. At their peak,
95 per cent of apprentices were from the local area, such is the desire to
support those in the Stadium's immediate surroundings.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We always promised that
West Ham United's move to the Stadium would create hundreds of jobs for
local people and the fact that the Stadium's stunning conversion is already
transforming young lives is something that we are very proud of. As a Club,
we're committed to making the Stadium accessible to all and youth employment
is an integral part of that.
"It is no surprise that many of those working on the Stadium conversion are
West Ham United fans as this is very much our community. I am personally
delighted that fans like George are working on the project as they will be
able to see first-hand the time, effort and meticulous detail that the Club
with our partners put into planning for the conversion to make sure West Ham
fans have an unrivalled matchday experience from the very moment we kick-off
our first game there in 2016."
Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation,
said: "So many successful careers have already been created as a result of
the apprenticeship programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I am thrilled
to see these young people begin on that same road with their important work
transforming the Stadium.
"With the opening of the Park on 5 April getting ever nearer, there are
still plenty of opportunities for local young people to get involved in
apprenticeships at the Park. I hope George and Mohamed enjoy their time
working on such an iconic legacy of the Games and wish them every success
with their future careers."
Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: "We are delighted that George and
Mohamed are doing such a great job. Newham is committed to ensuring a
lasting legacy for the Stadium that will enable us to support residents into
jobs in such an inspirational place. Newham Council's employment service
Workplace was actively involved with the recruitment of Newham candidates
for these roles and continues to work with employers to find opportunities
for young people to earn money while training with experienced staff and
gain nationally recognised qualifications relevant to their jobs. I urge
more employers to consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their
business."
Senior Imtech project manager Paul Leighton, who has been working on the
Stadium transformation since August 2013, reiterated Imtech's commitment to
the apprenticeship philosophy, having begun his own career in much the same
way.
"The apprenticeship scheme is really important to us," Mr Leighton
explained. "Both our Managing Director and I began our careers as
apprentices, so we put a lot of stock in our apprenticeship scheme and
across the UK Imtech take on at least 30 a year. A large proportion of our
management teams are former apprentices and it has stood us in really good
stead.
"The feedback on George and Mohamed so far is really good from the guys on
site, they're a doing a great job. We undertake a lot of projects in and
around London, so as long as they meet our standards their future careers
with us are looking good at the end of their training. Investing in
apprenticeships works out really well for everybody, we believe in the
apprenticeship programme and the benefit it brings to the individuals and
Imtech."
Nicholas Pollard, Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK Chief Executive
Officer, said: "I know that the future of our industry depends on finding
and investing in the next generation of engineers, project managers and
skilled trades. We are committed to ensuring that five percent of our
workforce is apprentices, graduates or sponsored students within five years
so that we can maintain the highest quality workforce right here in the UK."
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Jussi happy with second best
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Jussi Jaaskelainen says that he is happy being on the bench - as long as it
means West Ham are performing well. The veteran Finn, who is 39 next month
lost his place in the first team to Spanish 'keeper Adrian at Christmas,
since when he has endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines as the player
who began the season as his deputy continues to keep him out of the team.
However the 6'3" stopper maintains he is happy for that scenario to continue
- should the Hammers continue their rise up the table. "We have turned the
season around but we need to keep going and try to finish as high as we
possibly can," he told whufc.com. "Things have gone against us a little bit
in certain parts of the season but we've really bounced back, so hopefully
we can finish high and can build on two successful seasons in the coming
years. "I am just trying to work as hard as I can and to support Adrian in
every possible way. It's about how we finish the season as a team, not as
individuals. If I get one more chance I will try to to grab it and keep the
shirt as long as I can. "That's why I keep working hard, because you never
know what is happening in the future in football."
Jaaskelainen has appeared 19 times for West Ham this season but only once
since New Years' Day - that coming in the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City
in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi final back on January 21.
Since becoming a permanent fixture between the sticks at the turn of the
year, Adrian has made eight Premier League appearances - five of which have
resulted in a clear sheet. During that period, the opposition have managed
to score more than once on a sole occasion (the 3-1 home defeat to
Newcastle).
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Collison staying focused
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Jack Collison says he intends to continue to fight for a place in Sam
Allardyce's match day squads - despite having barely featured this season.
The Welsh international's career has been dogged by a succession of injuries
although the most recent barrier to regular first team football has been his
manager, who has preferred aletrnative options on the whole this season.
However that hasn't deterred Collison from doing his best to win back a
place in Alllardyce's 18-man match day squad. "That's part and parcel of the
game," he told whufc.com. "If you look at the quality of our squad, there
are 22 outfield players and there is a lot of quality not even making the
bench, let alone the starting XI. There is a lot of competition for places.
"The boys have been magnificent so there has been no reason for the manager
to change it too much. "They have got the shirts at the moment and, if they
keep producing, they deserve to keep them. The likes of myself and others
are disappointed and are working hard in training so when that opportunity
comes, it's up to us to take it and keep hold of the shirt."
As exclusively revealed here on KUMB at the end of last month, Collison has
been the subject of one or two enquiries from potentially interested parties
in the Championship, with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds United taking a
look at the 25-year-old. However for Collison, who had made 15 appearances
(mostly from the bench) for the Hammers this season, it's business as usual
- until he gets told otherwise. * Collison was a 76th-minute replacement for
Leicester City's Andy King last night as Wales beat Iceland 3-1 in a
friendly at Cardiff. Hammers team mate James Collins scored the first of the
three Welsh goals on the night, a 12th-minute header.
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Jack Collison plans to fight for West Ham future
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 06/03/14
11:04am
SSN
Jack Collison is determined to fight for his future at West Ham despite
being linked with loan moves away from Upton Park. The likes of Leeds and
Nottingham Forest are thought to be keen on signing Collison before the
close of the loan window. Collison has struggled to hold down a regular
place in Sam Allardyce's side this season, making just six Premier League
starts, but the Wales international is focused on working his way back into
the manager's plans before the end of the season. "If you look at the
quality of our squad, there are 22 outfield players and there is a lot of
quality not even making the bench, let alone the starting XI," Collison told
the club's official website. "There is a lot of competition for places. "The
boys have been magnificent, so there has been no reason for the manager to
change it too much. "They have got the shirts at the moment and, if they
keep producing, they deserve to keep them. "The likes of myself and others
are disappointed and are working hard in training so when that opportunity
comes, it's up to us to take it and keep hold of the shirt."
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West Ham's Matt Taylor says he is enjoying his new midfield role
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 06/03/14
3:50pm
SSN
Versatile performer Matt Taylor admits he is enjoying his new role in
central midfield for West Ham. Taylor normally finds himself playing
left-back or the left side of midfield for West Ham, but in recent weeks he
has been used in an unfamiliar centre midfield role. Taylor has started the
last 10 games in midfield after earning a regular spot in Sam Allardyce's
starting XI - and the 32-year-old says the new position has given him a new
lease of life. "I am just enjoying my football to be honest," Taylor told
the Newham Recorder. "I'm enjoying my chance to play because the older you
get, the more you appreciate playing football because it won't be around
forever. "So from that point of view I am really enjoying it and if I can
contribute to the team, I will be really happy with that."
West Ham saw their good run of form come to an end at Everton last time out
and Taylor knows it is vital they get over that defeat as they look to steer
clear of trouble at the wrong end of the table. "We need to pick ourselves
up from the Everton defeat," added Taylor. "There are 10 games left before
the end of the season and we need to get as many results as we can to make
sure we cement our place in the top half."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
James Tomkins praises local youngsters for work on transforming Olympic
Stadium
By Emma Webb | Last Updated: 06/03/14 10:13pm
SSN
Defenders George McCartney and James Tomkins have backed West Ham United's
use of local youngsters in the ongoing work to convert the Olympic Stadium
into the club's new home in time for 2016. Engineering company Imtech has
employed up to 60 apprentices from the Newham area as part of the Olympic
legacy commitment to train and assist with the transformation, with 16
already securing permanent employment on and off the Park. McCartney and
Tomkins visited the site on Thursday and personally thanked the young men,
including George Skuce and Mohamed Mohamed, for their contribution to the
Hammers' new home while awarding them autographed West Ham shirts. "It's a
great project and it's great for the young apprentices working here," said
Tomkins. "A lot of them are local and fans as well, which makes it even
better. "We wanted to show our appreciation to the apprentices for building
us this lovely stadium."
The decision to move has been contested by some fans, but Skuce, 18, is a
lifelong West Ham fan from Canning Town and has seen first-hand the benefits
of the transition. "It is the Olympic Stadium, it's got to be great," he
said. "There is going to be retractable seating, the view won't be an issue,
not at all. "It's most definitely a great move for the club - it's like
opening a bigger branch! "The West Ham link was everything to me. I've been
brought up with West Ham, supporting them from day one. It's definitely
something I'll look back on with pride over the coming years."
West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has played a key role in West
Ham's move out of the Boleyn Ground and into the Olympic Stadium since 2011.
The development of the Imtech apprenticeship scheme has been of particular
importance for her, in observing the pledge made to the West Ham fans and
the people of Newham. "We always promised that West Ham United's move to the
stadium would create hundreds of jobs for local people and the fact that the
stadium's stunning conversion is already transforming young lives is
something that we are very proud of. "I am personally delighted that fans
like George are working on the project."
Whilst the internal building work still has a long way to go, the south of
the park opens to the public on April 5. It has been transformed into an
area of landscaped gardens with a children's play area, for the public to
enjoy ahead of the opening of the stadium. The calendar for the Stadium is
already filling up, with five matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup scheduled
to be played there, along with some events of the new Invictus Games,
organised by Prince Harry for wounded soldiers, to be held later this year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TONY CARR TO BE HONOURED TONIGHT
By Sean Whetstone 6 Mar 2014 at 08:44
West Ham Till I Die
Tony Carr MBE will be honoured tonight with a life time achievement award at
the Willow foundation London Football Legends Awards 2014 at the Grange
Tower Bridge Hotel, London.
Born in Bow, Tony started his career as an apprentice at the club in 1966
cleaning Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst's boots. He went on to become a
professional footballer in 1969 but never rose above the West Ham reserve
team and left West ham in 1971 after the young striker suffered an injury.He
started coaching youngsters in 1973 after an invitation from John Lyall and
by 1980 he was full-time and putting his own stamp on the famous Academy of
football.
His previous success stories include Glen Johnson, John Terry, Rio
Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe and
more recently James Tomkins, Jack Collision and Mark Noble
From Ron Greenwood to Sam Allardyce, manager after manager during his 41
years at the Boleyn Ground West Ham have enjoyed Tony's commitment to
developing the stars of tomorrow. His aim has always been is to produce
well-rounded individuals that understand all aspects of the 'West Ham way'.
Last year Tony was was honoured by the FA for his forty plus years of work
as West Ham United's Youth Academy Director as he received the Outstanding
Contribution to Youth Development award and in 2010 he was made an MBE in
the Queen's birthday honours list for his services to football and received
a star-studded testimonial from West Ham.
About Willow Foundation
Willow is the only UK charity supporting seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds by
providing unique and positive Special Days. We are totally reliant on the
generosity of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations to fund our
work. Since 1999 Willow has fulfilled more than 10,000 Special Days for
young adults living with life-threatening conditions such as cancer, motor
neurone disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and Huntington's
disease.Founded by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter, Bob Wilson
Willow is a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer
aged 31. www.willowfoundation.org.uk
Other nominees up for awards tonight with a West ham connection
Harry Redknapp is up for Outstanding contribution to a London Club for his
work with West ham whom he left 13 years ago. Harry started his career at
West Ham in 1962 as an apprentice becoming a senior player between 1965 and
1972. He returned as manager in 1994 leaving in 2001. Former West Ham
Manager Alan Curbishley is up for the same award for his work with Charlton.
Mervyn Day is up for the London Goalkeeping Award for West ham while West
Ham legend Phil Parkes is up for the same award for his time at QPR. Mervyn
was at West ham between 1973-1979.
Finally Jussi Jaaskelainen is up for Player of the year 2013/2014 against
Eden Hazard and Aaron Ramsey.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
James Tomkins and George McCartney visited the Stadium to celebrate National
Apprenticeship Week
06.03.2014
With National Apprenticeship Week in full swing, West Ham United duo James
Tomkins and George McCartney visited the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park to pay a personal thanks to the apprentices helping to convert their
future home. West Ham United, the London Legacy Development Corporation and
Newham Council continue to work closely on ensuring there is an enduring
Olympic legacy for east London and are delighted that hard-working, local
youngsters are benefitting from the arena's conversion into a UEFA Category
4 Footbal Stadium. The first two of many Imtech apprentices began work in
January 2014 and are due to see the high-profile project through to its
completion, when the Hammers take up occupancy in summer 2016. In line with
Imtech's extensive engineering expertise, 18-year-old George Skuce and
20-year-old Mohamed Mohamed will concentrate on wiring and pipework,
latterly setting their sights on field-of-play lighting and scoring systems.
For the time being, however, it is all systems go on a state-of-the-art home
dressing room, with the apprentices clearing the way for the new and
elaborate fit-out.
The Hammers' matchday facility will rival, if not exceed that of any other
Premier League club. The spacious main dressing room area is to be
configured in a horseshoe shape, with players able to use massage and
activation equipment rooms without leaving the changing room. The squad will
also have access to the Stadium's indoor running track to enhance their
pre-match activity. Hot and cold plunge recovery pools, an in-house medical
room and a designated analysis space are all to feature, plans befitting a
world-class football venue.
Olympic Stadium apprentices
Tomkins and McCartney present the apprentices with Hammers shirts
Skuce has an added incentive to ensure his work of the highest standard as,
like many east Londoners, he is a lifelong Hammers fan. The teenager, who
hails from Canning Town, studied electrical engineering at college and is in
little doubt that his decision to undertake an apprenticeship was the right
one.
"The West Ham link was everything to me, knowing that I was coming to a
company that was transforming the Stadium for my home Club," he confirmed.
"I've been brought up with West Ham, supporting them from day one, so to be
here with an electrical company as well, which is what I'd always wanted to
do, is pretty amazing.
"University just wasn't for me. It didn't appeal and as an apprentice I
wanted to be working while earning, so it made perfect sense really.
"I'll be over here for the majority of games and I'll be able to say, I put
that up and I've walked the players round the dressing room. It's definitely
something that I'll look back on with pride over the coming years."
To date, upward of 60 apprentices have played a part in the creation of
London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 16 of whom have already been
supported into permanent employment both on and off the Park. At their peak,
95 per cent of apprentices were from the local area, such is the desire to
support those in the Stadium's immediate surroundings.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We always promised that
West Ham United's move to the Stadium would create hundreds of jobs for
local people and the fact that the Stadium's stunning conversion is already
transforming young lives is something that we are very proud of. As a Club,
we're committed to making the Stadium accessible to all and youth employment
is an integral part of that.
"It is no surprise that many of those working on the Stadium conversion are
West Ham United fans as this is very much our community. I am personally
delighted that fans like George are working on the project as they will be
able to see first-hand the time, effort and meticulous detail that the Club
with our partners put into planning for the conversion to make sure West Ham
fans have an unrivalled matchday experience from the very moment we kick-off
our first game there in 2016."
Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation,
said: "So many successful careers have already been created as a result of
the apprenticeship programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I am thrilled
to see these young people begin on that same road with their important work
transforming the Stadium.
"With the opening of the Park on 5 April getting ever nearer, there are
still plenty of opportunities for local young people to get involved in
apprenticeships at the Park. I hope George and Mohamed enjoy their time
working on such an iconic legacy of the Games and wish them every success
with their future careers."
Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: "We are delighted that George and
Mohamed are doing such a great job. Newham is committed to ensuring a
lasting legacy for the Stadium that will enable us to support residents into
jobs in such an inspirational place. Newham Council's employment service
Workplace was actively involved with the recruitment of Newham candidates
for these roles and continues to work with employers to find opportunities
for young people to earn money while training with experienced staff and
gain nationally recognised qualifications relevant to their jobs. I urge
more employers to consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their
business."
Senior Imtech project manager Paul Leighton, who has been working on the
Stadium transformation since August 2013, reiterated Imtech's commitment to
the apprenticeship philosophy, having begun his own career in much the same
way.
"The apprenticeship scheme is really important to us," Mr Leighton
explained. "Both our Managing Director and I began our careers as
apprentices, so we put a lot of stock in our apprenticeship scheme and
across the UK Imtech take on at least 30 a year. A large proportion of our
management teams are former apprentices and it has stood us in really good
stead.
"The feedback on George and Mohamed so far is really good from the guys on
site, they're a doing a great job. We undertake a lot of projects in and
around London, so as long as they meet our standards their future careers
with us are looking good at the end of their training. Investing in
apprenticeships works out really well for everybody, we believe in the
apprenticeship programme and the benefit it brings to the individuals and
Imtech."
Nicholas Pollard, Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK Chief Executive
Officer, said: "I know that the future of our industry depends on finding
and investing in the next generation of engineers, project managers and
skilled trades. We are committed to ensuring that five percent of our
workforce is apprentices, graduates or sponsored students within five years
so that we can maintain the highest quality workforce right here in the UK."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jussi happy with second best
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Jussi Jaaskelainen says that he is happy being on the bench - as long as it
means West Ham are performing well. The veteran Finn, who is 39 next month
lost his place in the first team to Spanish 'keeper Adrian at Christmas,
since when he has endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines as the player
who began the season as his deputy continues to keep him out of the team.
However the 6'3" stopper maintains he is happy for that scenario to continue
- should the Hammers continue their rise up the table. "We have turned the
season around but we need to keep going and try to finish as high as we
possibly can," he told whufc.com. "Things have gone against us a little bit
in certain parts of the season but we've really bounced back, so hopefully
we can finish high and can build on two successful seasons in the coming
years. "I am just trying to work as hard as I can and to support Adrian in
every possible way. It's about how we finish the season as a team, not as
individuals. If I get one more chance I will try to to grab it and keep the
shirt as long as I can. "That's why I keep working hard, because you never
know what is happening in the future in football."
Jaaskelainen has appeared 19 times for West Ham this season but only once
since New Years' Day - that coming in the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City
in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi final back on January 21.
Since becoming a permanent fixture between the sticks at the turn of the
year, Adrian has made eight Premier League appearances - five of which have
resulted in a clear sheet. During that period, the opposition have managed
to score more than once on a sole occasion (the 3-1 home defeat to
Newcastle).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison staying focused
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th March 2014
By: Staff Writer
Jack Collison says he intends to continue to fight for a place in Sam
Allardyce's match day squads - despite having barely featured this season.
The Welsh international's career has been dogged by a succession of injuries
although the most recent barrier to regular first team football has been his
manager, who has preferred aletrnative options on the whole this season.
However that hasn't deterred Collison from doing his best to win back a
place in Alllardyce's 18-man match day squad. "That's part and parcel of the
game," he told whufc.com. "If you look at the quality of our squad, there
are 22 outfield players and there is a lot of quality not even making the
bench, let alone the starting XI. There is a lot of competition for places.
"The boys have been magnificent so there has been no reason for the manager
to change it too much. "They have got the shirts at the moment and, if they
keep producing, they deserve to keep them. The likes of myself and others
are disappointed and are working hard in training so when that opportunity
comes, it's up to us to take it and keep hold of the shirt."
As exclusively revealed here on KUMB at the end of last month, Collison has
been the subject of one or two enquiries from potentially interested parties
in the Championship, with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds United taking a
look at the 25-year-old. However for Collison, who had made 15 appearances
(mostly from the bench) for the Hammers this season, it's business as usual
- until he gets told otherwise. * Collison was a 76th-minute replacement for
Leicester City's Andy King last night as Wales beat Iceland 3-1 in a
friendly at Cardiff. Hammers team mate James Collins scored the first of the
three Welsh goals on the night, a 12th-minute header.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack Collison plans to fight for West Ham future
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 06/03/14
11:04am
SSN
Jack Collison is determined to fight for his future at West Ham despite
being linked with loan moves away from Upton Park. The likes of Leeds and
Nottingham Forest are thought to be keen on signing Collison before the
close of the loan window. Collison has struggled to hold down a regular
place in Sam Allardyce's side this season, making just six Premier League
starts, but the Wales international is focused on working his way back into
the manager's plans before the end of the season. "If you look at the
quality of our squad, there are 22 outfield players and there is a lot of
quality not even making the bench, let alone the starting XI," Collison told
the club's official website. "There is a lot of competition for places. "The
boys have been magnificent, so there has been no reason for the manager to
change it too much. "They have got the shirts at the moment and, if they
keep producing, they deserve to keep them. "The likes of myself and others
are disappointed and are working hard in training so when that opportunity
comes, it's up to us to take it and keep hold of the shirt."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Matt Taylor says he is enjoying his new midfield role
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 06/03/14
3:50pm
SSN
Versatile performer Matt Taylor admits he is enjoying his new role in
central midfield for West Ham. Taylor normally finds himself playing
left-back or the left side of midfield for West Ham, but in recent weeks he
has been used in an unfamiliar centre midfield role. Taylor has started the
last 10 games in midfield after earning a regular spot in Sam Allardyce's
starting XI - and the 32-year-old says the new position has given him a new
lease of life. "I am just enjoying my football to be honest," Taylor told
the Newham Recorder. "I'm enjoying my chance to play because the older you
get, the more you appreciate playing football because it won't be around
forever. "So from that point of view I am really enjoying it and if I can
contribute to the team, I will be really happy with that."
West Ham saw their good run of form come to an end at Everton last time out
and Taylor knows it is vital they get over that defeat as they look to steer
clear of trouble at the wrong end of the table. "We need to pick ourselves
up from the Everton defeat," added Taylor. "There are 10 games left before
the end of the season and we need to get as many results as we can to make
sure we cement our place in the top half."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
James Tomkins praises local youngsters for work on transforming Olympic
Stadium
By Emma Webb | Last Updated: 06/03/14 10:13pm
SSN
Defenders George McCartney and James Tomkins have backed West Ham United's
use of local youngsters in the ongoing work to convert the Olympic Stadium
into the club's new home in time for 2016. Engineering company Imtech has
employed up to 60 apprentices from the Newham area as part of the Olympic
legacy commitment to train and assist with the transformation, with 16
already securing permanent employment on and off the Park. McCartney and
Tomkins visited the site on Thursday and personally thanked the young men,
including George Skuce and Mohamed Mohamed, for their contribution to the
Hammers' new home while awarding them autographed West Ham shirts. "It's a
great project and it's great for the young apprentices working here," said
Tomkins. "A lot of them are local and fans as well, which makes it even
better. "We wanted to show our appreciation to the apprentices for building
us this lovely stadium."
The decision to move has been contested by some fans, but Skuce, 18, is a
lifelong West Ham fan from Canning Town and has seen first-hand the benefits
of the transition. "It is the Olympic Stadium, it's got to be great," he
said. "There is going to be retractable seating, the view won't be an issue,
not at all. "It's most definitely a great move for the club - it's like
opening a bigger branch! "The West Ham link was everything to me. I've been
brought up with West Ham, supporting them from day one. It's definitely
something I'll look back on with pride over the coming years."
West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has played a key role in West
Ham's move out of the Boleyn Ground and into the Olympic Stadium since 2011.
The development of the Imtech apprenticeship scheme has been of particular
importance for her, in observing the pledge made to the West Ham fans and
the people of Newham. "We always promised that West Ham United's move to the
stadium would create hundreds of jobs for local people and the fact that the
stadium's stunning conversion is already transforming young lives is
something that we are very proud of. "I am personally delighted that fans
like George are working on the project."
Whilst the internal building work still has a long way to go, the south of
the park opens to the public on April 5. It has been transformed into an
area of landscaped gardens with a children's play area, for the public to
enjoy ahead of the opening of the stadium. The calendar for the Stadium is
already filling up, with five matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup scheduled
to be played there, along with some events of the new Invictus Games,
organised by Prince Harry for wounded soldiers, to be held later this year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TONY CARR TO BE HONOURED TONIGHT
By Sean Whetstone 6 Mar 2014 at 08:44
West Ham Till I Die
Tony Carr MBE will be honoured tonight with a life time achievement award at
the Willow foundation London Football Legends Awards 2014 at the Grange
Tower Bridge Hotel, London.
Born in Bow, Tony started his career as an apprentice at the club in 1966
cleaning Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst's boots. He went on to become a
professional footballer in 1969 but never rose above the West Ham reserve
team and left West ham in 1971 after the young striker suffered an injury.He
started coaching youngsters in 1973 after an invitation from John Lyall and
by 1980 he was full-time and putting his own stamp on the famous Academy of
football.
His previous success stories include Glen Johnson, John Terry, Rio
Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermain Defoe and
more recently James Tomkins, Jack Collision and Mark Noble
From Ron Greenwood to Sam Allardyce, manager after manager during his 41
years at the Boleyn Ground West Ham have enjoyed Tony's commitment to
developing the stars of tomorrow. His aim has always been is to produce
well-rounded individuals that understand all aspects of the 'West Ham way'.
Last year Tony was was honoured by the FA for his forty plus years of work
as West Ham United's Youth Academy Director as he received the Outstanding
Contribution to Youth Development award and in 2010 he was made an MBE in
the Queen's birthday honours list for his services to football and received
a star-studded testimonial from West Ham.
About Willow Foundation
Willow is the only UK charity supporting seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds by
providing unique and positive Special Days. We are totally reliant on the
generosity of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations to fund our
work. Since 1999 Willow has fulfilled more than 10,000 Special Days for
young adults living with life-threatening conditions such as cancer, motor
neurone disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and Huntington's
disease.Founded by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter, Bob Wilson
Willow is a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer
aged 31. www.willowfoundation.org.uk
Other nominees up for awards tonight with a West ham connection
Harry Redknapp is up for Outstanding contribution to a London Club for his
work with West ham whom he left 13 years ago. Harry started his career at
West Ham in 1962 as an apprentice becoming a senior player between 1965 and
1972. He returned as manager in 1994 leaving in 2001. Former West Ham
Manager Alan Curbishley is up for the same award for his work with Charlton.
Mervyn Day is up for the London Goalkeeping Award for West ham while West
Ham legend Phil Parkes is up for the same award for his time at QPR. Mervyn
was at West ham between 1973-1979.
Finally Jussi Jaaskelainen is up for Player of the year 2013/2014 against
Eden Hazard and Aaron Ramsey.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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